Keeping Watch
by Phoenix Spirit Fighter
Summary: Second in "There for You" series. Feeling forgotten by the kingdom and abandoned by her friends and family, DG falls ill with a disease that is rarely survived. DG/Cain.
1. Chapter 1: Day One

**Chronology: Second installment of the "There for You" series.**

**Summary: Now that the eclipse is past and the kingdom has been saved, it seems to DG that her part as savior of the O.Z. has been fulfilled. Feeling abandoned by her friends and family, she falls ill with a disease that is rarely survived. It's up to her friends to do what they can for her, for now that her life is on the line she needs a savior of her own.**

**Rating: T**

**Genre: Angst/Romance**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it from somewhere else, it's not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

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DG leaned closer to her sketch pad for a moment, her charcoal pencil adding in the tiny details of the palace gardens. Far below her, walking along the stone-paved paths, her mother, father, and sister enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine, and she couldn't help but feel a little left out.

It had been close to a month since the eclipse, and in that time she had gone from savior of the OZ to what she could only describe as a commodity. The ball that had been held at the Central City palace a mere week after the witch's demise had not so much been a celebration of the Zone's newfound freedom, as her parents had said, but rather a reinstatement of her mother as the ruler and a declaration of the princesses' eligibility for marriage; an announcement that had surprised Az just as much as it had DG. Since then, a new suitor for one sister or the other had dropped out of the woodwork every few days, though all of them had been turned away. The young men wishing to court DG had simply stopped coming as time went on, and as her parents' focus had turned to Az's future as queen of the OZ, the younger princess found herself fading further into the background. She didn't mind so much about the whole suitor thing, she knew that under their eager smiles and polite conversation they were all gold-diggers. She just couldn't shake the feeling that, now that the kingdom was safe and order was finally being restored, her role in this whole thing had played itself out.

She didn't think it would be so bad if she still saw any of her friends anymore. Raw had returned to the western woods, bringing Kalm back to their tribe. Glitch, his brain returned to its appropriate place and the zipper gone, had been reinstated as royal advisor, and now spent all of his time at court or, on the rare occasion that he had free time, down in his lab. Cain, still insisting on remaining as close as possible to the royal family and, effectively, to the youngest princess of the realm, had accepted the position of head of security. But it was a job that kept him constantly on the run around the palace; checking on the training of new recruits, meeting with the professors of the newly reopened Tin Man Academy and reporting to the Queen and Consort on a near-daily basis. He still visited with her as frequently as he could, but for all intents and purposes he might as well have taken a job on the other side of the Zone.

DG didn't mind admitting to herself that Cain was the one she missed the most. Ever since her roller-coaster first week in the OZ he had been her constant, her source of strength and comfort. What always came back to her mind, though, was her rescue from the Gale mausoleum. She remembered, a little better than she really wanted to, the stifling darkness trapped inside the marble coffin, how his name had been the last one on her mind before her breath finally failed her, how his eyes had been the first she sought out upon finally waking up. A miracle, according to Glitch, that had happened because of Wyatt. Sitting with him after they left the crypt, and then following the eclipse as her long week finally caught up with her, had made her feel secure, wrapped in his arms and leaning against him as though nothing could ever hurt her again. She treasured the time they were able to spend together, walking in the gardens or sitting in one of the palace's many parlors as she drew and he worked on paperwork. He had become a little less conservative with his endearments when he was talking to her, calling her "sweetheart" and "darlin'" in that almost-Southern drawl of his as often as he could just as long as her parents weren't around. After all, traditionally she wouldn't even be allowed to visit with or be seen with a male she wasn't related to unless she was being courted by him; even then, she would have to wait until her older sister had been spoken for. But her parents trusted Cain, and recognized how important he and the other members of their somewhat motley crew were to her, accepting them all as an extended family.

Did she love him? She didn't really know. But in that critical moment of time when she needed someone, _anyone_, to find her, her magic had reached out to him, had marked him the same way she had been, and had connected them in a way that she didn't even share with her sister. She cared for him, she recognized at least that much, and knew he cared for her in a way that went slightly beyond friendship. Love? She wasn't sure if she was ready to make that leap yet, even though his absence left her life feeling emptier than everyone else put together.

Down in the gardens, Glitch had approached the happy trio somewhat nervously, bowing to the Queen and Consort. Even from the distance, she could see his nervous twitching as though his synapses had taken to misfiring all over again. He obviously had nothing to worry about, for as he was speaking to them she saw the bright smiles cross her parent's faces. Add that to the exuberant leap her sister suddenly took into the advisor's arms, and it didn't take a mad scientist to figure out that the elder princess was no longer accepting suitors.

The sunlight reflecting off the white stone paths and statues made her head hurt, and DG closed her eyes briefly before turning away from the window, dropping her sketchbook and pencils on a table. She winced as she stood, a sharp pain radiating from the back of her head to halfway down her back. It had flared up time and again since the eclipse, and she had initially credited it to that first maddening week she had spent in the OZ. After all, in the course of seven days she'd jumped off a cliff, wrestled with mobats, gotten locked in a sarcophagus and been thrown off a balcony. But now, with just barely three weeks since the eclipse and no end to the throbbing pain that seemed to spread farther every day, she didn't know what to think.

"Hey, you okay?"

She jumped at the voice, her brain barely registering that Cain was standing a few feet away.

"Geez, Wyatt, don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sneak up on you? Deege, you were looking right at me when I walked in."

Another fact to wrap her brain around.

"I was?"

"Yeah," he drew the word out, slowly closing the space between them, his piercing blue eyes searching hers. "You feelin' okay?"

She frowned, shrugging one shoulder in an attempt to hide the stiffness that ran down her side, and sank carefully back onto the window seat.

"My back just hurts," she murmured, her gaze falling to the floor.

"Again?"

She nodded silently, frowning as another muscle lower on her back suddenly stiffened. "Sweetheart?" She glanced up at him, pulling away for a moment when his hand rested on her forehead. "You're burning up, Deege," he sighed, tilting her face up and noting her bright eyes with worry. "Come on, we need to get you to bed. I'll get your family and call a doctor once you're settled," he held her arm to steady her as she stood, then led her out to the hallway. They walked silently, his gaze locked worriedly on her as she focused all the energy she had on not falling over. There was a faint buzzing in her ears, and her vision blurred for a moment, causing her to stumble. "Easy there, sweetheart," Cain's voice sounded distant, like it came from farther down the hall, and she found herself cradled in his arms as he carried her upstairs to her room. He stopped to talk to two guards, and though she couldn't make out what he was saying she could hear the sharpness in his voice before they turned away. When they reached her rooms, he carefully handed her off to two maids and vanished as they helped her into a pair of pajamas, reappearing just as they were getting her into bed and carrying a small ceramic basin and a washcloth. He set them down on the bedside table, murmuring a quiet "I've got her" to the maids as he took their place, supporting DG behind the head as she lied down.

She rolled onto her side, pulling the blankets tighter around herself, closing her eyes at the feel of the cool pillow on her warm face. She heard water dripping, then felt something cool and damp on the back of her neck, the bed shifting slightly as he sat down next to her.

"What's going on, Wyatt?"

"I'm not sure, Deege. I know you haven't been feeling like yourself lately, but even so this fever spiked awfully fast," he murmured, feeling her forehead. "I sent for a doctor, so we'll find out what this is and get it set straight again." Her eyes opened a crack to look at him, noticing that he had discarded his duster and fedora at some point and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. He smiled at her, though his eyes suddenly looked tired. "Don't you worry, Kiddo, everything's gonna be alright." He gently rubbed her back, and her eyes slowly closed again. "Try to get some sleep."

She nodded slightly, pulling the blankets closer, and he sat with her as she slowly dozed off. The quiet sound of a door opening caused him to turn around, and he nodded slightly to himself when he saw Azkadellia's silhouette in the light thrown from the other room. He slowly stood, striding to the nearby window and pulling the drapes closed before leaving the bedchamber.

"Your highness," he greeted her quietly, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him.

"Mr. Cain, you call DG by her given name, you may just call me Az when we're not in court," the elder princess smiled. If he hadn't been around the palace nearly twenty-four-seven for the past three weeks, he never would have guessed that she was the same person who had been possessed by the sorceress. Any fears she had had after her fifteen annuals of possession had disappeared quickly thanks to the constant support of her family and a kingdom willing and ready to welcome the House of Gale back to the throne. Where there could have been a fearful and timid princess there was now a brave future ruler who was more than capable of taking over the monarchy in a few years' time. Now, however, her dark eyes were shadowed with worry. She glanced through the doorway at the still figure of her sleeping sister. "The guard just told me . . . how is she?"

"Fine," he replied, sighing quietly. "I wish I knew what was making her sick, though. She's been feeling off, but this fever of hers just sprang up out of nowhere."

"You sent for the doctor?"

"I did, the same time I sent the guard to find you and your folks," he glanced at her. "Your parents coming?"

The princess frowned, shaking her head.

"They have a meeting scheduled with ambassadors from the neighboring kingdoms," catching the look on his face, she sighed. "I don't like it any more than you do, Cain. If I had the power to, I would pull them away from everything they're doing and force them to come here for DG. But my mother is still the queen, and even if she wasn't, after fifteen annuals I'm not sure how interested they are in being parents to us."

"They spend plenty of time with you," he said, trying to not sound accusatory.

"Because I'm the future ruler of the OZ. As far as our parents are concerned, DG's done what she could for the OZ," she looked in on her sister again. "I hope they come to their senses soon."

Cain nodded in agreement.

"Where's Glitch?" he asked quietly, trying to change the subject.

"Down in his lab, looking for an old medical text or some other thing," she allowed herself a small smile. "He was always taking care of us when we were children. For every scraped knee or bee sting, we went to him. He was in medical school before mother hired him as royal advisor; I would trust him with my sister's health as much as any doctor."

The door from the hallway quietly opened, and Glitch poked his head into the room.

"Hey, guys, how's DG doing?"

Cain simply shrugged. Glitch was the only other person he knew of that had noticed DG's waning health over the past few weeks. The only thing was, until she had actually gotten sick, they both had just thought she was overly tired.

"You find anything, Zipperhead?"

"Well, yes, I did," the advisor replied, coming into the room, a leather folder under one arm and a large book under the other. Cain frowned at the look on Glitch's face, suddenly getting the feeling that he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

The advisor put the folder down on a nearby table and opened the book to the first page. "This particular book was designed differently than our other textbooks. You start on the first page and find one of the symptoms of the disease you're looking for. It'll direct you to another part of the book, where you look up another symptom, which will direct you to another page. It narrows down the possible illnesses as you look for more symptoms until you find the one you're looking for," he paused, an uneasy look passing over his face. "I searched through all the symptoms I've noticed and never really put together as being part of one illness: back-ache, tiredness, no appetite. With the newest symptom, a fever, I've narrowed it down to a list of fifteen different illnesses she could have."

"There are three others that started today," Cain muttered, thinking of DG's behavior in the parlor and the hallway. "Sensitivity to light, confusion, and dizziness."

Glitch nodded, flipping through more pages, running his fingers down long tables and turning to other pages.

"We've narrowed it down to five," he sighed, taking a deep breath before turning the book so Cain and Az could read it. "All of these share these same symptoms."

Cain glanced at the list, suddenly curious about what was making Glitch nervous. They were all childhood illnesses, most children were through all of them by the time they were twelve; he remembered when Jeb had had most of them, and some of them he remembered having himself when he was young.

"Ambrose, I don't understand, DG's already had all of these, and it even says here that they're all one-time illnesses. If she's had them already, how could they be making her sick again?" Az wondered, confusion mixing with the worry that lined her face.

"That's why I'm glad I found this," Glitch replied, picking the folder back up. "Every hospital has one for its patients, and as advisor to the royal family I have access to this one, which has the name of every citizen of the OZ."

One eyebrow rose on Cain's forehead as he wondered how such a thin volume could possibly hold the name of everyone in the kingdom. "It's a magical register, Cain," Glitch explained. "You can ask for the information by a name and it will bring it up." He opened the folio, and the Tin Man could see that it held a few pages of parchment, all of them except the first inscribed with hundreds of tiny squares. "Look at this . . . Princess Dorothigale of the Royal House of Gale, information on illnesses contracted during childhood."

The folder vibrated in the advisor's hands, the page edges rustling slightly until print suddenly appeared on the first page. "You were almost right, Az," Glitch admitted, pointing to a patch of print. "DG did have most of these; shingles when she was one, ice fever when she was three, and this one, chickenpox, when she was seven and living on the Otherside. Blazerash she received the vaccine for, since she didn't have it by the time she was four and your parents didn't want to risk her catching it after that age, because it can become more deadly if a child over four catches it. But she never caught this one," he pointed back to the medical text. "When DG . . . died and had to be sent to the Otherside, your parents were still trying to get her to catch it, since the symptoms get worse the older a person gets. Don't you remember? From the time DG was old enough to walk and talk your father would take the two of you on regular trips to the Papay fields hoping she would catch it. They don't have this one on the Otherside, so she never had the chance to catch it at all."

"Ambrose, you have to be kidding. Please tell me that it's not true," Az's face had blanched, her eyes suddenly filled with worry.

"I'm sorry Azkadee. I know I'm not an actual doctor, but I would bet all of my marbles that this is what DG has."

Cain tilted his head, his eyes crinkling around the edges as he read the page Glitch was pointing at. He felt himself take a step back in surprise, mulling over what he had read.

"Fangpox?"


	2. Chapter 2: Day Three

**Disclaimer: Still not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

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Cain leaned against the windowsill, looking out over the castle's front gardens and main driveway, guarded by its spiked gate and leading around to the back of the castle. The suns were setting, and he vaguely wondered where three days had gone.

Behind him, DG shifted uncomfortably in her sleep, a hoarse cough racking her lungs and shaking her tiny frame as she pulled the blankets closer around herself. It was this most recent symptom that had brought a serious set to the doctor's face three days before, the one that had allowed the white-coated woman to confirm Glitch's diagnosis. Up until then, Wyatt had still held out hope that DG might have something other than the frightening illness that Glitch had explained to him.

"_It's what's known as a mathimatikal virus,"_ the advisor had murmured to his fiancée and the Tin Man as they sat in DG's suite, waiting for the doctor. _"The older a person is when they catch it, the longer it takes for the disease to run its full course."_ He had sighed, his dark eyes tired and his face paler than it normally was, if that was possible. _"In the case of Fangpox, after a standard of three days for the virus to become accustomed to its host, each stage of the illness increases by a day for every annual of the person's life. In DG's case, since she's twenty annuals old, it was twenty days of incubation. During that time, we saw symptoms that seemed unrelated to each other, because only the less severe ones ever occurred. Today, the twenty-first day, started the virus's active stage. Her symptoms have started showing up together, and she's starting to exhibit the more severe ones. After the virus's twenty active days, it will die off on its own, and it will take another twenty days for it to work its way out of her and for her to fully recover."_ The advisor had frowned, and the look in his eyes told Cain that the man was steeling himself for what he was about to say. _"The symptoms, in particular the fever, can become so severe that a person will . . .die. The severity can increase and decrease over the course of the active period, but all it takes is two days of them being too strong. To date, no one over the age of ten has ever survived the illness."_

Cain had wanted to punch the man out for talking that way, as though DG was just some nameless research subject or a numbered patient that only provided interest through an impersonal chart. He had managed to stop himself, however, when he realized that Glitch was masking his emotions the only way he could, by hiding behind the research.

They had debated over telling her, between giving her all the information about what she had or hiding it from her and pretending that everything would be fine. The argument had ended in a stalemate, to be left alone for the time being while they kept the young princess as comfortable as possible. But the truth still hung in the air that, should her fever rise too much or any of her other symptoms become too severe, they would need to take her to the hospital. There was only so much that a few people could do. Since then, Glitch had been trying to figure out how to get in touch with Raw, but the land of the Viewers was hard enough to locate without needing to find one specific individual. So they all had been sending mental messages toward the gifted Viewer, hoping that they found him and he would make his way back to Central City. Cain highly doubted that the furball would be able to do anything for DG, but he knew that Raw would want to be there.

DG shifted again, another cough rumbling in her chest, a thick sound that had Wyatt turning away from the window as the young woman curled up in her sleep, her lungs fighting to rid themselves of the viscous substance that had formed. He picked up a small suction bulb from where it was sitting on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed, draping one arm over her shoulders as her eyes opened drowsily.

"Here, Deege, open your mouth."

She complied without a fight, as used to this as he was and too drained for the embarrassment that had fueled her tired argument the day before. The small rubber bulb made quick work of the gunk she had coughed up, and Wyatt emptied it out into the garbage can he had brought from the bathroom. Dropping it back in its place, he pulled a thermometer out of the glass of water it was sitting in, drying it and glancing at it briefly. "Alright, sweetheart, here you go." She opened her mouth again, closing it around the thermometer when Wyatt held it out for her, shifting it around for a moment to keep it in the right place. His hand rested on hers, his thumb brushing over her knuckles as the faint white light flickered between them. It was still new to both of them, having this strange connection that hadn't occurred between two people in over two centuries, if Toto's records were anything to go by. They had been learning about their magic, though their lessons were often separate due to the vast differences in their gifts. As a direct descendant of the Gale line, hers was constant, ready to be used or to even lash out on its own at a moment's notice. His was the shared gift, the one that came from her magic reaching out for him when she couldn't do so herself, and as such it only appeared when he needed it, and would then disappear until he called on it again.

She was the offensive and defensive fighter, being able to turn the magic itself into a powerful weapon or shield, and could bend it to do anything and everything she needed. He was a healer and a psychic, much like Raw only lacking the empathy, and had developed an elemental edge to his gift, being able to draw out the most basic forms of magic in the OZ. She gave off a brilliant white light when they practiced, while he had begun to glow with a dark green hue. He had continued to take his lessons these past few days, though he refused to move any farther from her than just moving to the next room, and Toto had gladly complied. Had he a choice, he wouldn't have left her side even for that brief hour every day; but there was always something playing at the back of his mind when he used his gifts, as though there was a purpose for it beyond gaining control of his light. He could never tell what it was, for his magic was still too weak, but he knew that it was important. So he kept practicing, remembering that DG's life had almost been sacrificed for the gift to come to him; though he would gladly give it up if it meant she would recover.

A gentle squeeze on his fingers brought his thoughts back, and he turned to find a question in her overly-bright eyes. "No, darlin', it's not me. Our magic's doing that." His other hand brushed her bangs away from her face, resting gently on her forehead and her flushed cheeks. He took the thermometer from her mouth, holding it so it caught the last of the suns' light. "Hundred and two," he sighed. "Higher than it was this morning." He dropped it back into its glass and wrung out the washcloth that floated in the ceramic basin, laying it across the back of her neck. "Are you thirsty at all? Can I get you anything?"

"Not right now," she murmured, her voice hoarse, and a small tear trickled from her eye.

"Deege, what's wrong?" He gently wiped the tear away, then rested his hand on the pillow above her head, stroking her hair.

"I'm just tired. I've been sleeping for practically three days straight and I still feel like crap. I go between being too hot and being freezing and I'm always tired and hurting and I'm scared because I don't know what's wrong. . ." her voice broke as another cough shook through her.

"Easy, darlin', I know this is hard. But it's one of those things that you've just got to work your way through and let it run its course," he leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead. "This is one nasty virus you've caught, but here in the OZ it's one that everyone gets eventually. You never caught it as a child, and then you were sent to the Otherside, so you didn't get it until now. But once you're through this, you never have to worry about it again. " He willed himself to look into her eyes, not wanting to make a promise he might not be able to keep but knowing that it was something she needed to hear. "You're going to be fine, Deege, I promise." His thumb grazed over her knuckles, the white light between them taking on a green tinge around the edges. "Try to get some sleep, okay? You need your rest."

She nodded, blinking away a few tears. "Stay here with me?" she murmured, sounding uncertain whether he would.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart," he replied, switching the hand she was holding so he could reach over and gently rub her back. "This feel alright?" he asked quietly, knowing that the pain the virus caused could be so bad sometimes that she couldn't bear being touched. She nodded again, her hand tightening slightly on his as she blinked drowsily. He sat next to her as she slowly fell asleep, then waited until her breathing evened out and her grasp went slack. Pulling another blanket up around her shoulders as the cool night air breezed through the window, he returned to his spot at the windowsill for a moment before a door opened and closed in the next room. His first reaction was to reach for his gun, but as the room became briefly illuminated by a subtle green light he knew that there was no need for it. Moments later the bedroom door opened, and a familiar face peered in.

"Tin Man learning gift well," Raw purred as he came into the room, closing the door quietly behind him and joining him by the window.

"Thanks Furball," Cain replied, leaning against the wall. "When did you get here?"

"Just now. Felt need from friends, wanted to return."

"How's the little guy, what's his name, Kalm?"

Raw nodded, "Doing well, happy to be with pride, with family. Missed mother, father, brother."

"The squirt has a brother?" Cain asked, allowing himself a small grin.

"Baby brother, only two annual old. Learning to walk, talk, make trouble like brother."

The Tin Man chuckled at that, "Boys will be boys." His humor was short-lived, however, and he turned his gaze to the sleeping princess. "I don't suppose there's something you could do for her?"

Raw sighed, shaking his head.

"Gift is for healing wounds, cannot get rid of illness. If DG in pain, can comfort and help to sleep."

Cain mulled that over for a moment, and the Viewer felt a twinge that he recognized as heartache.

"How was it for you, Raw?"

Dark eyes regarded the human for a moment, then Raw's gaze fell to the floor.

"Raw wishes it not happen this way. Healers in tribe affected differently, virus never as severe as for others," he shuffled his feet. "Raw fifteen annuals when virus attack whole tribe."

Cain frowned, turning to face his friend.

"But Glitch said that no one over ten has ever survived."

"Glitch only know about humans. Records not exist for others, like Viewers. Raw became sick, but gift able to heal virus after five days. Went to work caring for others. Dark days, many in tribe die, many children become orphans and many parents lose children. Raw feel unfair that gift can heal own illnesses but not illnesses of others. Especially times like now, when friend fall sick." He looked back at the Tin Man. "Glitch tell Raw about argument."

Wyatt didn't need elaboration.

"What would you do? I feel like I'm stuck in the middle on this one," his voice was quiet, and Raw knew that it wasn't just so that DG could sleep. "Az doesn't want us to say anything to her; she thinks it would make DG worse if she knew what was happening to her. Glitch thinks that Deege needs to know what's going on."

"What Tin Man think?"

Cain's frown deepened, though there was only one answer that he could honestly give.

"I don't know."

Raw tilted his head curiously.

"Then what Tin Man feel?"

"That we should do what is best for DG. Whatever that is," he looked back toward the sleeping princess, suddenly realizing how small and frail she looked in the moonlight that streamed through the window. "I just hate having to give her this false hope, promising things to her that no one has any control over. She got scared today, because she didn't know what was going on. I told her that this was just a virus, one that everyone gets. I promised her that she'll be fine. I looked right into her eyes and made a promise that I can't keep. I've never done that to her before, and I hate that this is forcing me to."

"Hope helps DG, gives strength. Sometimes enough to help pull through."

"Look, Furball, what is there that we can do when there is no cure and no one over the age of ten has ever lived through it?" Cain took a step toward the Viewer, his eyes flashing in frustration and irrational anger. "Do you really expect me to believe that DG's going to be fine because of a lie I told her that gave her false hope?"

"False hope still hope, Cain, and hope not false if it gives strength," Raw didn't back down, his voice firm and his eyes glaring into Cain's. "Sometimes, it enough. When pride attacked by virus, Viewer of thirteen annuals survived that not healer, named Sol. Raw tell Sol he be okay, that he strong enough to fight virus. Sol find strength in what Raw said, even when Raw feeling guilty that he have to lie. Learned to hide guilt so Sol not know, always find strength to fight each day. Survived virus, and is now father with two sons. Raw's nephews good boys, younger one learning to get into trouble, like brother."

Cain took a step back, suddenly realizing what Raw was saying. The Viewer continued. "Raw tell brother untruth, promise not able to keep, because Raw not want to lose Sol. Best friends as cubs, Raw not want to be separated. Raw understand why Cain say same to DG."

"You think she'll be okay?"

"Raw not have gift of foresight, cannot say. But DG strong, and Raw not be surprised if survive."

Cain sighed, his eyes full of uncertainty that Raw could sense without his second-sight. DG shifted in her sleep, a quiet whimper reaching their ears. Raw glanced at the Tin Man, somewhat surprised when he didn't budge.

"She's starting to hurt again, there's nothing I can do."

Raw nodded and walked slowly over to where DG slept, resting a gentle paw on her shoulder. She jerked away from the touch at first, but the Viewer held her shoulder firmly and she gradually settled down.

"She better for while, Raw stay close to help when needed."

"Thanks, Furball," the Tin Man replied, a tired smile crossing his face.

A door opened and closed again, with a bit more force than when Raw had arrived, and the room glowed green for a moment. Cain frowned, not sure that he had sensed correctly. "The Queen and Consort are here?"

Raw closed his eyes, nodding when they opened again.

"With Glitch and Princess Azkadellia."

"Could you stay here with Deege? I don't want her to wake up and not have someone here."

The gentle Viewer nodded, pulling a chair over to the bedside and sitting down, and Cain quietly left the bedroom, blinking to let his eyes adjust in the brightly lit sitting room. "Your Majesties, Your Highness, Advisor. What may I do for you?"

In all honesty, he wasn't sure what to make of the royal family's visit. Az had, of course, been in to sit with DG several times in the past few days, giving Cain the chance to go to lessons or to simply get out of the castle for a reprieve. Glitch had stopped by, as well, mostly in the evenings when his duties at court were finished for the day. But in the three days since their daughter had fallen ill, neither the Queen nor the Consort had come to see DG. While a part of him wanted to be glad that the two finally seemed to be coming to their senses, as Az had put it, Cain couldn't help but wonder why they had suddenly decided to drop by.

"Commander Cain, how is DG?" Lavender Eyes asked quietly, and the Tin Man had to keep his eyebrow from rising on his forehead.

"Her fever's still high, and her other symptoms come and go. She's sleeping right now, but Raw just had to heal the pain that came back," he sighed. "At this rate, we'll be taking her to the hospital in another few days, we – "

"No, you won't."

This time, both eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Your Majesty?"

"You will not be taking her to the hospital. She is fine where she is."

Cain's gaze flickered briefly to the Consort and Az, and if their expressions were any indication then they were downright shocked by what the Queen was saying as well.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, if DG's symptoms become any worse she will need a doctor. Raw, Glitch, Princess Azkadellia and I are not enough to help her. Another couple of degrees and her fever could become deadly. She would be better off in a hospital." _She can't possibly be thinking to uphold some sort of image with this. _

"The illness my daughter has gives a very grim prognosis, Commander, surely as a parent you can understand my wishes to keep her close to home where she may have peace and be near her family."

_What family would that be? Glitch, Raw and I would gladly follow DG wherever she might go._ "Respectfully, Majesty, if my son were to fall ill with a disease that could possibly kill him, I would still give up everything I have if it meant getting the best care for him. Besides, there is always the chance that DG could pull through this, and getting her to a hospital where she can get proper care can increase that chance."

"You will remember, Commander, that this country is still unstable. Any sign of weakness on the part of this family could cause an uprising and destroy all I have been working for these past weeks. Should word get out that my daughter is ill, the media would turn into a circus, giving our enemies all the ammunition they would need to undermine the royal family. To show our strength, every member of this family must show how strong they can be, and sending my youngest daughter to a hospital for help with an incurable disease is a sign of weakness."

Cain felt he must have been imagining things, listening to what the Queen of the OZ, supposedly one of the most compassionate people in the Zone, was saying about her own daughter. As much as he would have loved to give the woman a piece of his mind, he knew that he couldn't risk losing his commission and being dismissed from Court. DG still needed him. So he took a deep breath, bowing his head slightly.

"As you wish, Your Majesty. I will continue to do all I can for your daughter," he murmured, bowing slightly.

"Thank you, Commander," the Queen nodded, turning to leave.

"Did you wish to see DG, Your Majesty?"

"No, if she is sleeping I don't wish to disturb her," she replied as she and the Consort left, not even looking back.

As the door closed, Cain was left standing in the sitting room, Glitch and Az similarly frozen in their tracks. The Tin Man finally turned, willing his feet to move, and returned to DG's bedroom. Raw was still sitting by the bed, and the look in his eyes said that he understood what had happened. The Viewer swiftly moved out of the chair, allowing Cain to sit down. He rested his elbows on his knees, sharing a look with Raw as well as Glitch and Az, who had followed silently behind him.


	3. Chapter 3: Day Five, Night Five

**Disclaimer: I don't own them, never have, and never will.**

* * *

For the first time in months, Wyatt Cain was scared. It was a deep, fiery fear he hadn't felt since he had stood with DG on the hill by the sorceress's tower, ready to run headlong into a situation that could very well end in disaster. Looking into DG's eyes, knowing that he cared for her beyond the friendship she had developed with the others and that he might never see her again, this same fear had hit him like a punch to the gut when he realized there was nothing he could do to change what was happening.

And here he was, once again unable to control how a situation ended or whether the woman he had come to love would survive.

As DG's condition had worsened over the past two days, he had taken what chances he could against the Queen's wrath and approached her, asked her for permission to take the princess to a hospital. Her fever was steady, but nothing they did could bring it down from its dangerous temperature of one hundred and four. She was in almost constant pain, the spasms ripping through her lasting for hours on end, and Raw was as helpless as anyone else to do anything for her except heal whatever small amount of pain he could, though it was rarely enough. Wyatt had gone to the Queen, had tried to appeal to whatever part of her still cared for and loved DG, and had requested permission to at least bring medical supplies and staff in to take care of her, but the violet-eyed monarch had refused. Her reasoning (or excuse, as he saw it) was still the need to show a strong front to the kingdom, to belie the hidden weaknesses that could cause the downfall of the monarchy. He had even spoken to Ahamo, asked him to speak to his wife and help her see what she was doing to their daughter. The Consort had promised to try, but he was powerless to do anything against the Queen's rule.

He had wanted to yell at the woman, slap her across the face and force her to come see DG, so that she might see what was happening and have a change of heart. But he had seen the look in her eyes, had recognized the emotion that he remembered all too well from that first day after he had been released from his tin prison. The same pride and need for control that had sent him on a hunt for Zero's head was fueling the Queen's overwhelming rule. There would be no reasoning with her. DG had saved him twice on their journey across the Zone: once from the destructive spiral he lived through while watching his family tortured and beaten on an endless loop, and the second time when the thought of her being in danger made him realize that taking revenge on Zero wasn't as important as making sure she was safe. But Queen Lavender refused to visit her daughter, and though Cain was head of security the guards still answered to the monarch; so, preferring to stay near DG and do what he could, he had displayed acceptance of the woman's judgment and dropped the subject.

Storming through the halls after his last meeting with the Queen, he knew he needed to calm down before he returned to be with DG. So, changing his path to take him outside to the back gardens, he sent a pulse of magic toward Az, who was sitting in the darkened bedchamber by her sister's side. The suns' light outside was almost blinding to him after spending so much time in the dimmer atmosphere of the castle, but he blinked the spots away and forced himself to take on a gait that didn't give away his anger.

* * *

Az felt the light that Cain had sent to her, pausing in the doorway from the bathroom for a moment before nodding and continuing to her sister's bedside with the full basin of cold water, picking her way around the small piles of DG's belongings that littered the floor. DG's sensitivity to light had reached a new threshold, and anything but the softest light would have the younger princess squeezing her eyes shut and crying out in pain. So they kept the curtains closed, even at night, and Az had used her magic to dot the ceiling with tiny spheres of light, giving the room a faint glow that would allow everyone to see while keeping DG from being in any more pain than she needed to be. The older princess gently took the washcloth from her sister's forehead, soaking it in the basin and wringing it out before laying it back in its place, resting her hand over the cool cloth. DG's brow furrowed, and she turned her head to move away from the touch, but Az kept her hand where it was.

"It's alright, Deege," she said quietly, taking DG's hand in her own. "It's just to bring your temperature down."

DG's eyes slowly opened, and she stared uncertainly at the ceiling for a moment before she turned to her sister.

"Az?" she murmured, her voice hoarse. "Where's Wyatt?"

"He's out getting some air, he'll be right back," the elder princess replied, squeezing her sister's hand, managing a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts, Az," the words came out a pained whisper, her hand tightening around Az's as her head and back throbbed, her eyes falling closed.

"I know, baby sister," Az murmured, trying to keep her voice from wavering as she spoke the comforting term. "Do you want me to go get Raw? Maybe he could help."

"No," DG's tired eyes flew to her sister, her voice suddenly panicked. "Stay here, Az, please. I'm scared."

"Okay, DG, I'll stay here," her thumb brushed DG's temple, her eyes full of worry that she was hurting her sister. She moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "Keep your eyes on mine, you'll be okay. We'll call Raw when Cain gets back."

DG nodded, her breath hitching in her chest as her eyes held onto her sister's, her grip tightening when another wave of pain surged down her back, forcing tears to trickle down her cheeks.

* * *

"Commander Cain."

Cain paused, his hand on the door, and turned toward the voice, his eyebrows disappearing under the rim of his fedora when his gaze fell on Ahamo.

"Your Majesty? What can I do for you?"

"How is DG?"

"She's gotten worse; it's gettin' to the point where we can hardly do anything for her. There's not much that Raw can do anymore, either," the Tin Man could barely keep his voice steady. "I appreciate that you've been trying to convince Queen Lavender to change her mind."

"It's the very least I could do, especially after how we ignored her for so long. Perhaps if we had been paying attention we could have caught this earlier."

"It wouldn't have made any difference, DG would still be sick." He sighed. "You should come up and visit her; I know she'd like to see you."

The Consort nodded, "I will. Shall we?"

Cain pushed the door open and the two entered the castle, falling in step with each other with the measured footfall of soldiers. "It has been five days since she fell ill?"

"It has, though at the rate her temperature is rising she won't live to see the eighth day."

"How can you be so indifferent to my daughter's condition?"

"'Indifferent'?" Cain froze, his eyes blazing as he turned to the Consort. "For the past five days I have been one of the few people who _haven't_ been indifferent towards what DG is going through. At this point, the four of us who have been taking care of your daughter have been focusing more on keeping her comfortable than on our own emotions. How I feel doesn't matter right now, because the second I walk into DG's room I have to put on a brave face so that she doesn't know how scared I really am. I'm not being indifferent, Your Majesty, this is just how things have become."

Whether Ahamo was more surprised by what Cain had said or how he said it, the Tin Man couldn't tell. Before either of them could say anything else, however, Raw came tearing down the hallway, skidding on the floor as he rounded the corner. Without a second thought, Cain took off after the Viewer, neither knowing nor caring whether the Consort was behind him. The doors through DG's suite barely slowed them down, and Raw made a beeline for her bedside, resting his paws on her shoulders. Even in the dim light, Cain could see the pain etched across DG's face, barely diminished by Raw's healing touch. He stepped forward as Az stood, taking her place at the edge of the bed, folding his hands around one of DG's. Raw moved back, having done all he could. "Deege? Can you look at me? DG?" Her eyes were open, but they were glazed over with fever and unshed tears.

"Wyatt, it hurts."

"I know, darlin', but you can get through this, you're gonna be fine." His hand framed her face, his thumb brushing her temple as her hand tightened on his. "Raw, you can't do anything else?" He turned to the Viewer, who shook his head sadly. A cough suddenly shook DG's frail frame, her breaths wheezing between the thick sounds of something making its way up her throat. "Deege, listen to me, I know you're hurting, but I've got to roll you onto your side," he carefully extricated his hand from her grasp, slipping it under her neck and his other hand under her back. "DG, look at me."

She managed to open her eyes, though her brow furrowed as she fought to keep them open through the cough that racked her lungs. "Raw, can you give me a hand? Easy now."

The two of them carefully turned the princess onto her side, though a sharp wince still escaped her at their touch, her hands fisting around the blankets so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Cain took up the small suction bulb, carefully clearing DG's mouth of everything she had coughed up, his free hand finding hers once again to allow his light to comfort her. Tears streamed from her eyes, driven by the combined pain and fear, and Wyatt was caught between wanting to hold her and provide the human comfort she needed and wanting to touch her as little as possible so as not to hurt her. He hesitated for a moment before resting his hand on the back of her neck, gently massaging the muscles at the base of her skull, and he sent up a silent prayer to whatever deity might be listening that this wave of pain was the throbbing tetanus that sent her body into an agonizing rigor rather than the sunburn-like stiffening that turned anything that touched her skin into the equivalent of a hot ember. It seemed a cruel joke, that he would need to hope for one excruciating torture over the other, but at least the one he prayed for allowed for some sort of human contact beyond the comfort of holding her hand. Her grasp constricted around his fingers, her back stiffening and her eyes falling closed, but she didn't shrink from his touch or cry out.

He vaguely wondered if she even had the strength in her anymore to do anything except let the tears fall.

He turned to the others, barely surprised to find that Ahamo had disappeared. He shared a glance with each of them, the look in their eyes mirroring what he felt. They were all thinking the same thing, and each was fearfully wondering how much longer the youngest princess would stay with them before she simply tired out.

* * *

"_Cain . . . Cain!"_

He shook the fog of sleep from his mind as his fedora lifted off his head on its own. He had to blink several times before he recognized the violet-flecked brown eyes of the heir to the throne.

"Az? What's wrong?" his gaze immediately flew to the sleeping princess beside him, an action that nearly had him tumbling out of the chair he had been dozing in. His heart resumed its normal rhythm when he saw DG still sleeping; her exhaustion from that day's ordeal had finally taken its toll and pulled her into a deep but troubled sleep around the time that the suns had set below their respective horizons. With the curtains still closed, though, he had no idea how long ago that would have been. "What time is it?"

"Near midnight. Come on, we have to hurry."

Wyatt's gaze finally fell on the two pitch-black travelling cloaks and knapsack that Az carried.

"What's going on?"

"We're getting DG out of here. You need to go pack a bag for yourself, I'll get her up and ready. Quickly, now, father's waiting down by the stables."

He moved quickly to follow her orders, though his mind lingered on the thought of what Ahamo had planned, and by the time he had packed, changed into heavier clothes to fight off the night's chill and returned to DG's room Az had helped her sister sit up on the edge of the bed and put on heavier clothes over her pajamas. Without a word the heir tossed one of the travelling cloaks to the Tin Man, and he pulled it on and fastened it down the front before helping fasten DG's. Az took up the two packs, shouldering them with a strength that belied her regal upbringing, and Cain carefully lifted the younger princess into his arms, somewhat taken aback at how frail she had become after just five days.

The walk just through the hallways was slightly more nerve-racking than Cain would have liked, with more than one close-call with a night watchman. But they made it out of the castle without incident, and found Ahamo waiting by the stables with Raw by his side, each of them holding the reins of a dark brown horse and the Viewer wearing a dark cloak as well.

"Horses, Your Majesty?" he muttered, handing DG off to Ahamo so he could fasten their packs to the back of one of the creatures.

"An automobile would be too easy to track, and easily missed by my wife. She does not know about these two horses, and you could not ask for two smoother riders. This is Nosk," the consort motioned to the horse standing by Raw. "And this one is Slone. They are Equus, Commander."

Cain froze in his movements, turning to the Consort in shock. "Yes, Commander, the fabled half-horse, half-unicorn, recognizable only to those who know what they are and impossible to track. They know where you are headed, and their magic will protect you."

The Tin Man returned to his task, unsurprised to find that the formerly brown horses were now a brilliant shade of white.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"Straight east, past the tree-villages of the Eastern Guilds. There's a small city beyond the edge of the woods, called Farthin City, and there is a hospital there. The head doctor in the emergency room is expecting you."

"You trust him?"

"'Her,' Commander; and yes, I do. Your identities will be kept secret, and you will be safe. My wife's magic has all but left her; she will not be able to trace you or your magic at that distance."

"I've placed a shield over you and my sister, Cain," Az added. "It will stay strong and keep you from being found."

Cain pulled the saddle off his horse, placing it on the ground before jumping onto the creature's back, nodding as Raw climbed onto the other one. Ahamo carefully passed his youngest daughter to the Tin Man, and Cain helped her sit side-saddle before she settled against his chest, her hand clutching the front of his cloak as his arm wrapped securely around her.

"Come this way," Ahamo murmured, motioning them in the opposite direction of the main gate and leading them to the far end of the gardens. "Stay cautious on your way out of the city. Do not stop for anyone, if you keep moving no one will be able to catch you. Once you're past the city walls stick to the back roads, and always head east. If you keep moving, you should reach Farthin by noon, but that is a decision I trust you to make based on how DG is travelling." The small group had reached a distant wall, far from the palace and hidden by growth and a grove of trees, and Cain noticed a tall wooden door set into the stone. The Consort took a ring of keys from his belt, selecting one and unlocking the door, opening it to reveal a hidden tunnel within the wall. "Follow this to its end; it will lead you out to a side alley north of the palace. You'll have to work your way around the city to the east branch of the Old Road; it will throw off the stories of anyone that might witness you leaving. There will be no communication between us in your absence, Commander, your son is well suited as your substitute and as long as Azkadellia and I continue as we have these past few days I doubt my wife will notice that you're gone until it is too late to search for you. However, I don't doubt that she will try. Make as few stops as possible on the way, and be careful who you speak to. Take good care of DG, Commander Cain, I am entrusting her to you."

"I will, Your Majesty," Cain nodded.

Az stepped forward, taking her sister's hand, sharing her light with her sister.

"Stay strong, DG, I'll see you when you come home."

The younger princess nodded wordlessly, her large eyes glassy in the moonlight, and she turned away from Az's gaze to look up at Wyatt. He smiled reassuringly at her, rubbing her back for a moment before holding her snugly against him. Ahamo rested his hands on his eldest daughter's shoulders, gently pulling her away from the horse.

"God speed, Commander," he murmured, bowing his head slightly.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," the Tin Man touched the wide brim of his hat, bowing to the two before guiding the horse into the tunnel, followed closely by Raw. Ahamo and Azkadellia watched as the two riders and their precious passenger disappeared into the darkness, the faint glow from the enchanted horses finally swallowed by the tunnel's abyss, both painfully aware that this could very well be the last time they saw the young princess.


	4. Chapter 4: Night Five, Day Six

**I hate travelling chapters, really I do. But sometimes they're necessary, so hopefully this one didn't turn out too bad.**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize something from somewhere else, even if it's not Tin Man, it's not mine.**

* * *

It was no small feat to make it out of Central City. Even harder was making it out of the city without running into people. The fact that it was barely after midnight made little difference, for cars still scurried along the roads and streetlamps still glimmered on every block. However, by circling around the Entertainment and Sin Districts and sticking to the shadowed alleys the travelers were able to remain largely unnoticed. The few pedestrians they did encounter paid scant attention to the three cloaked figures and their nondescript brown horses, and when Cain came face-to-face with a fellow ex-Tin Man he simply tipped his hat in greeting while carefully keeping DG hidden.

Both Cain and Raw breathed easier when they were finally able to leave the city walls behind. They stayed to the Brick Road for a short while before the two horses turned onto a worn dirt path that led them straight east, their pace quickening as though they recognized the need to put distance between them and the shining city. The Consort had not been lying, Wyatt realized, the two enchanted horses were smooth riders. Slone, in particular, controlled her gait as though she knew one of her passengers was in a fragile condition. Even as they reached the darker parts of the woods, where the light from the moons was blocked out by the thickening canopy above their heads, the horses were surefooted and certain of where they were going, needing little direction from either the Tin Man or Viewer as the true-white of their magical hides illuminated the path.

Feeling safe under the guide of the magical Equus, Wyatt allowed his mind a brief chance to wander, though his gaze never stopped scanning the surrounding woods and his ears remained tuned in to the night-sounds of the forest. DG shifted slightly against him, her hood falling from her face, and his arm instinctively tightened around her. He glanced down at her, frowning at the way her brow furrowed, her eyes blinking uncertainly in the pale light.

"You okay, Deege?" he murmured. He was surprised with how quiet she had been since they left the palace, thinking that she had perhaps fallen back to sleep in the brief reprieve between attacks from her illness, and he had left her alone so she could rest. But the look in her eyes told him that she was exhausted, and he worried that another surge of pain was starting to wash through her. Adjusting his embrace around her so he could pass the reins to his other hand, he felt her forehead and cheeks, releasing a silent sigh of relief as he realized her temperature had fallen since the previous day. He remembered that Glitch had told him her symptoms would come and go in waves over the course of the illness, and it seemed that Ozma had smiled on them and granted DG a break for their journey. Taking the reins back in his free hand, the arm that was wrapped around her reached up and carefully rubbed her back between her shoulder blades, and she relaxed into his chest.

"How do you know where to go?"

The quiet question caused his eyebrows to rise on his forehead. He had been certain that she'd been awake and alert during his conversation with Ahamo earlier that morning. But it finally occurred to him that what her father had said about the horses would have meant nothing to her if she didn't know what they had been talking about. To her, the horses would still be the dark brown color and nothing around them would be visible. Behind them, Raw chuckled breathily at the Tin Man's epiphany.

"Quiet, Furball," he muttered good-naturedly. "It's actually the horses that know where we're goin', sweetheart."

She looked up at him, her confusion evident in her bright eyes. "Close your eyes, darlin', I'll tell you about these horses." She nodded, snuggling against him as his arm wrapped around her, resting her head under his chin. "There are countless myths and histories about the Equus," Cain began, thinking back to his own childhood and the stories his mother would tell him. "And hundreds of different beliefs to how this race of horses came to exist. The most well-known stories all speak of two separate herds living in the time of the Ancients; one herd that included every wild horse in the OZ, and one that encompassed all the wild unicorns. They traveled as they wanted to around the Zone, and would occasionally encounter each other, but never interacted in their passing. Both herds were prized by the Ancients, and both were hunted for various reasons. The horses were spirited and wild, and it was the sign of a master horseman to have a tamed wild horse. The young horses were especially sought after, for if they were properly trained they would become some of the best-behaved horses and were often given as gifts between the nobles of the rising Houses as seals for treaties and agreements," he paused for a moment. "Many of the horses in your parents' stables are descendants of these wild horses. The unicorns were hunted, as well, though it was for what could be taken from the animals, not the unicorns themselves. Their hides were prized for their brilliant white color, their manes and tails were used to adorn royal tapestries, and their horns were said to have so much magic that the powdered form could still be used even in times of great darkness when all other magic had died. There was some belief that drinking a unicorn's blood could save a person's life, even if they were knocking on Death's door, but that was never proven. Just like master horsemen and their trained wild horses, it was the sign of a master hunter to have trophies taken from a unicorn, for they are the hardest animal to track in the entire zone. They don't leave tracks, and even if you see which direction they went you would still need to keep up with it and follow it until it stops, for a moving unicorn cannot be captured by any means, and they are so intelligent it's said that they have an almost-human ability to understand what is being said to them.

"Over time, the two herds shrank so much that they combined and became one herd, with both horses and unicorns, that the Ancients called the Great Herd. The spirited horses protected the much more docile unicorns from hunters, while the intelligent unicorns taught the horses to recognize traps set by humans and shielded them with their magic. Naturally, as the two herds intermingled there was interbreeding between the two species, and reports started popping up from people who claimed to have seen a pitch-black horse with sparkling white hooves and a horn, or a unicorn with a brown mane and tail that had wandered into a trap. Pretty soon, having a young mixed-blood horse was considered a sign of high rank, for only the most wealthy families could afford to buy them or to hire someone to capture one. But as more time passed, accounts of seeing these creatures of mixed-blood stopped occurring as often. More herds of wild horses appeared, moving from the surrounding lands into the zone and taking over the territories that the Great Herd had inhabited. Unicorns became even scarcer, for the few remaining unicorns from the Great Herd eventually broke away and became solitary creatures, and even today you rarely see more than two unicorns together. By this point, the demand for horses had dropped, for other forms of transportation had developed and every family that had need of a horse already had one. But rumors still existed of a herd of creatures that were descendants from that first Great Herd, a herd that looked like common horses except to those who truly knew what they were. To most people who saw them, they looked no different from a regular herd of wild horses, their hides of regular colors like brown, black, and dun. But to a very specific few, the colors were replaced by a brilliant white, so bright that they seemed to glow at night. It's considered a great gift to be able to recognize these animals at first glance, and very few who are able to share the secret with others. This fabled race of horses was given the name of 'Equus,' which was the Ancients' word for horse. Word has it that these few people who found them were given gifts of young foals by the herd as appreciation for keeping the secret, one filly and one colt, to continue the bloodline should the wild herd ever disappear.

"These horses are believed to have the best characteristics of both wild horses and unicorns, with the fiery spirit and fight of the horses and the intelligence and gentleness of the unicorns, with the ability to understand what is said to them and the magic to leave no tracks, but they are also fiercely protective of their herd and are impossible to catch if they keep moving. Wild Equus behave just as any wild horses; they're strong fighters that put up resistance to being caught. Some people have claimed that their neighbors are in possession of a tame Equus, but more often than not they are wrong. Those who are in possession of a tame one very rarely bring it to the attention of those they know, so most of them that have been tamed are still in hiding as regular horses. It's almost impossible to tell unless you know how to make someone aware, at which point that person will no longer see the dark brown or black of the horse but will see the bright white of the unicorn," he bent his head down to murmur in her ear. "If you're still awake, open your eyes and see our horses; they are Equus."

He watched as her eyes slowly opened, her head turning away from the faint light the animal gave off until her vision adjusted to it, but she was finally able to look at the glowing hide without squinting. A tired smile crossed her face, and Wyatt felt a small twinge of happiness that he was able to make her smile. "When your father told us what they are, he showed them that we are trustworthy. In a way, we're part of their herd now, and they're keeping watch for us; they'll keep us safe." He reached up to briefly stroke her hair, kissing the top of her head. "If you're not hurtin', you should try to get some sleep. We've still got a fair bit of a way to go."

"I will," she murmured. "I want to stay up a little longer. I feel safer when I know you're here."

"I'm not goin' anywhere, darlin'," he chuckled, but she snuggled closer to him, enjoying the human contact after going for so long without it. He chuckled again, planting another kiss on her dark hair. "You stay up as long as you want, Deege; I'll still be here when you wake up."

* * *

She hadn't been aware of falling asleep. The gentle motion of the magical horse and the comforting warmth of Wyatt's embrace as he cradled her against his chest had slowly lulled her into slumber, feeling safe despite her illness and their uncertain journey. It wasn't until she woke up that she even realized she had dozed off. That realization was immediately thrown from her thoughts when she found herself face-to-face with a Papay. Her breath seemed to leave her in a gasping scream as she rolled over from where she had been lying on her side on the ground, oblivious to the damp rag that fell to the floor and trying to ignore the dizzying pain that pulsed through her head as she scuttled backwards, nearly jumping out of her skin as something collided with her from the opposite direction and arms wrapped around her to hold her still.

"Deege, easy sweetheart, you're okay, he's not going to hurt you."

She relaxed for a split second at the sound of Wyatt's voice, though she shuddered and felt herself start to tremble as a loud rumbling echoed around them. She turned and burrowed into his chest, and his arms held her snugly against him, cradling her head against his shoulder as he murmured reassuringly. His words were drowned out by the buzzing in her ears, paired with the throbbing pain that suddenly shot down her spine from the base of her neck, and her hand closed in a death-grip on his cloak. She was vaguely aware of his hand rubbing her back, and a warm tingly feeling where he touched her, telling her that he was using his magic. A few minutes passed, and the throbbing died down to a dull ache, her pulse slowing as she felt herself relax. She was finally able to look up, Cain's gaze meeting hers steadily as his voice made its way through. "That better?"

She nodded silently, her tired brain still trying to catch up with what had happened.

"Where are we?" she asked quietly, turning to look around them. Though the small fire that flickered nearby barely illuminated anything more than three feet away, she could tell that they were in a cave.

"Cave at the western border of the Papay fields. Big storm started up right around the time we hit the orchard, and the Runners brought us here."

"Runners?" She searched her memory for the word, remembering that it meant something, blinking in surprise as her eyes adjusted to the darkness beyond the fire and recognized the great hulking silhouettes of sleeping Papay. But something didn't look right about them, and her brow furrowed slightly.

"Some of them remembered us from the last time we came through here. When the storm got too close for us to travel, the pack leader let us stay here until the worst part blows over. We'll start out again once the thunder and lightning die down," he turned so he could lean back against the wall, still cradling her securely against him.

"But, aren't Papay . . . ." she trailed off, her thoughts fuzzy and making it hard for her to think straight.

Cain paused for a moment, remembering the first day he and the others had recognized her symptoms for what they were, how her confusion had led them to realize what it was that she had.

"Hunters?" he murmured.

"Yeah . . . ."

"Their orchards and fields are growing back, and the Papay themselves are starting to change to what they used to look like. Take a look at the little one that woke you up," he nodded toward her feet, and she followed his gaze to the half-sized Papay that was sitting a few feet away, watching the two humans with curious brown eyes. DG could vaguely remember that the first Papay Runners she had seen closely resembled giant insects constructed of dead sticks, and she was surprised to see that this one was covered with a short layer of light brown fur, with oversized cloven hooves and a long, dog-like face. All in all, it looked a little bit like a deer, only with a ridge of short spikes down its back. The young animal looked at the rag that had fallen to the ground when DG had woken up and, tripping slightly on its too-big feet, nosed it toward the two humans. "Thanks, little guy," Cain chuckled, though he was interrupted by a throaty growl from the darkness. A larger Papay lumbered into the firelight and took the youngster up by the nape of the neck, then turned and disappeared back into the dark cave. Wyatt and DG shared a brief glance, both smiling slightly before the princess snuggled against the Tin Man's chest, resting her head under his chin as his embrace tightened around her. After a moment, he picked the cloth up from where it was sitting and passed it to his other hand. DG heard water dripping before he held it to her face, dabbing the cold cloth on her temples and on the back of her neck, and she squirmed uncomfortably at the chill. "I know it's cold, sweetheart, but your temperature's been going up and down for the past few hours. We need to try and keep it steady until we get to the hospital."

"Why do we have to go so far away?" she murmured. "Wouldn't the hospital in Central City have been okay?"

She sensed his hesitation, as brief as it was, and she looked up at him, leaning back slightly to see his face and frowning at the look in his eyes. "Wyatt, what's going on? Why did we have to sneak out of the castle? Why do we have to go so far away from the city?" Her voice wavered, rising slightly in pitch and he could feel her pulse starting to race.

"Deege, calm down," he said softly, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. He knew he didn't have a choice but to tell her, but he wouldn't if she was worked up and nervous. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, but you need to calm down so you can listen."

She blinked determinedly, trying to hold back the tears that had been threatening to fall, and took a deep wavering breath, tucking her face back under his chin as though to hide from him. She had started to shiver slightly, so he tossed the cloth to the side and wrapped both of them up in his cloak. Her trembling took on a new fervor when a flash of light outside was followed immediately by a loud crack of sound that would make anyone think the cave was falling down around them. "You're getting yourself all worked up, sweetheart," his whispered, hearing her breath hitch in her chest. "Listen to my breathing, try to match it." He knew he needed to get her to calm down; she was setting herself up for an adrenaline crash and that was the last thing she needed at the moment. "Come on, Deege." He held her as tightly as he dared to as she struggled against her emotions. It was several long minutes before she was finally able to calm down, though a few tears trickled down her cheeks before she could stop them.

"What's going on, Wyatt?" Her voice was strained and tired, and his hand came up to gently stroke her hair. "What's wrong with me?"

"The virus you have is called Fangpox," he sighed, trying to figure out how to tell her everything else she needed to know.

"Fangpox?" she repeated the unfamiliar name. "Isn't that what Glitch worried about after you got bitten by that Papay?"

"Yeah. That's one way to catch it; the other way is just to be around them. That's how you caught it."

"Okay," she nodded slightly, somewhat comforted that she could put a name to her illness. "Is it like Chickenpox?"

"Only in the sense that, the older you are when you catch it, the more severe it gets. But other than the fever, none of the symptoms are the same." She nodded again.

"So, why couldn't we stay in Central City? I would have liked to stay near Az."

He shifted nervously, his embrace around her tightening unconsciously.

"Deege, we had to sneak out of the city so your mother wouldn't find us."

"My mother?"

"I'm not entirely sure what happened to make her act this way, but she's taken over the rule with an iron fist. She's committed to showing a strong front to the kingdom; even when your symptoms started getting worse she wouldn't let us get medical help for you because she felt that it would be a sign of weakness. There are still people around who don't believe in the royal family, or that the kingdom can go back to how it once was. If any of those people found out about you being sick, that would give them a chance to prove the weakness of the throne. I'm not going to lie to you, Deege; I can sort of understand her reasoning. However, when she even refused to bring help in I knew that there was something corrupting her, because she's stopped caring about you and is worried more about the image your family sends to the kingdom. This isn't the end of your illness, sweetheart, things are going to get worse before they get better, and you're going to need a doctor's care. Your father made arrangements with a hospital in another city, and it's far enough away that the queen won't be able to find us. By the time she realizes we're gone, no one will know where we are."

Deege reached up and wiped a tear from her face, trying to keep her breathing even. There was a question she had to ask him, and her heart pounded in her chest when she thought of what the answer would be.

"Um, Wyatt? On the Otherside, people have died because they got Chickenpox as adults . . . has that ever happened here with Fangpox?"

Cain hesitated again, and DG tensed in his arms.

"It has," he finally replied.

"What age?"

"Deege . . ."

"What age, Wyatt?" she tried to sound strong, but her voice was starting to waver again. His embrace tightened around her almost painfully, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be as close to him as she could be and take in the strength he gave her.

"Ten," he murmured reluctantly. "The oldest person who's ever survived was ten."

The dam broke, and a choked sob escaped her as her fear and fatigue finally caught up with her and tears flooded down her cheeks. He didn't say anything, knowing that there was nothing he could say, only held her securely against him and tried to give her the comfort she needed. For a long time, the only sound in the cave beyond the thundering of rain was the frightened crying of the young woman as she clung to her Tin Man, her lifeline, as though her very life depended on it. Nearly an hour passed before her tears came to a stop, and Cain was certain that it was more out of sheer exhaustion than not needing to cry. She still shuddered against him, but her posture relaxed and he loosened his hug to reach up and gently stroke her hair. "I know you're scared, darlin'," he whispered. "I wish there was something I could do to take your fear away, and if I could I'd cure this illness you have so that you wouldn't have to be scared. I'm so sorry that I can't, that there's nothing that can guarantee how this virus will run its course; but I'm going to promise you, right here and right now, that you're not going to be alone for this. No matter what happens, I'm staying right here with you." He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to go on or wait. _You may not have the chance later_ the tiny voice in his mind told him, but he pushed it away. If he was going to tell DG how he felt, he didn't want either of them to think that his only reason was because he worried that there wouldn't be another time to do so. _Then what _is_ your reasoning behind wanting to tell her now?_

_So that she knows_, he told himself. _So that even during the times that she's not lucid or she can't hear me tell her, she'll still know, and she'll have something to hold on to._ "Can you look at me for a minute?"

She buried her eyes against his chest for a moment, taking a slow breath before she sat up straighter, but she couldn't get herself to meet his gaze. His hand came up to gently frame her face, but he didn't make her turn toward him; his other hand simply rubbed her back as he leaned forward slightly to kiss her temple. "Can you please look at me? I want to tell you something and I'd rather not have to say it to your hair."

A small grin crossed her face, and a quiet sound that might have been a chuckle escaped her, though the smile disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. Cain tilted his head to look into her eyes, dim with exhaustion and slightly puffy after her long cry, and she finally looked up to meet his stare. "I love you, Deege, I want you to know that and I'm not saying it for any other reason except that it's the truth."

Her eyebrows knit together as confusion and nervousness flickered in her eyes, and she tried halfheartedly to pull away from him. But there was no energy left in her, no fight.

"Wyatt, don't . . . ."

"Darlin', I'm not saying it because I think there won't be another chance to. I'm saying it because it's true, and it's something that you need to know and hold on to. Whatever happens with this illness, whatever the outcome is, this isn't going to change," he reached up with his thumb to brush a lone tear from her cheek. "I realized I loved you the instant I found out that Zero was coming after you in Central City. My heart was frozen with hate and the need for revenge until I realized that you were in danger. When we found you in that crypt my heart broke when I thought that we were too late, and it started beating again the second you took that first breath. My heart's breaking right now, Deege, because I know how scared you are about this and there's nothing I can do except stay here by your side. I don't know any more than anyone else as to where this might go. I only know that, no matter where this leads, it's not going to change how much I love you."

Uncertainty still shone through DG's eyes, and for a heart-stopping moment Wyatt thought that he had scared her. But she turned into his touch, her eyes falling closed as her hand covered his.

"I love you too, Wyatt," the words came out half-sigh, half-sob, and her fingers twined with his. "I knew it when I found out that you'd been shot by Zero, but until I saw you again in the tower I thought it was too late. I was able to beat the witch because of the strength I got from you; if I had lost you at any point I don't think I would have been able to keep going."

Cain leaned forward, resting his forehead on hers.

"So you're saying that we both owe a big thank you to Zero next time we see him?"

She did chuckle this time, the sound combining with her shuddering breaths as her emotions fought each other, and he laughed quietly at seeing her smile.

"I'm glad you're with me, Wyatt," she murmured.

"Me too, darlin'," he replied, gently kissing her cheek before letting her snuggle back against his chest, and he leaned against the cave wall. He felt her sigh as she reached up to rub her eyes, and she tucked her head under his chin. "Get some sleep, sweetheart," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I know you're tired."

* * *

The light drizzle of rain woke her up. She was still cradled in Wyatt's arms, though her travelling cloak was on and they were back on the horse. Her hood had fallen away from her face, and the light rain that made it through the forest canopy dampened the three riders and their mounts and brought green to the palette of colors that surrounded them. She tried to reach up and wipe the moisture from her face, but her arms seemed weighted down, her entire back stiff with the throbbing pain that had returned with a vengeance.

"DG awake," Raw's voice murmured from nearby, though from which direction she wasn't sure; it sounded too muddled, too warped. Cain's embrace shifted around her, one hand coming up to brush against her forehead.

"Deege?"

"Wyatt," she whimpered, managing to wrap her arms around herself, burying her eyes against his shoulder as they started to sting from the dim sunlight that made it through the clouds. "Can we stop for a while?"

"I'm sorry, darlin', we can't right now," he kissed the top of her head. "We've got to keep going so we can get to the hospital. Stoppin' with the Papay cost us a few hours, and we need to get to Farthin before you get too much worse. It'll be hard enough to keep going when we pass through Munchkin territory."

DG could barely hold back a groan at Wyatt's mention of the tree-dwellers, her previous experience with them, however brief, was not something she was eager to relive. The Tin Man almost chuckled at her response, figuring she had the same feelings toward the Munchkins as many people did. Even with the witch gone, they were obnoxious paranoiacs who frequently spoke in rhyme and delighted in testing their net-traps on unwary travelers. "Keep your eyes open, Furball," he turned slightly to address the Viewer. "We'll be hittin' their territory soon. Slone?" he patted the shoulder of their Equus. "Nosk? We'll need to be wary around here. Keep a look out for traps; move off the path if you need to avoid one." He reached up to pull the princess's hood back over her head. "Try and keep your face hidden, darlin', we don't want anyone to figure out who you are." His eyes scanned the treetops for signs of the villages, and he gave the horse a slight kick to quicken the pace.

By the time the treetop houses came into view, they had already skirted sections of the path several times, each of which resulted in what sounded like curses coming from the trees and surrounding shrubs, but he never took the time to do more that quickly glance around as they kept moving. He was impressed with how the village looked, if he was to be completely honest. New houses had been built and parts of the rope bridges that spanned the distances between trees had new boards. He felt himself tense nervously, however, when there was no other sign of life in the canopy; he knew, just _knew_ that the little climbers were planning an ambush. A big one, too, if he had to guess. No sooner had he told the horses to keep moving did the Munchkins spring on them, a whole band of them dropping from the trees like rappelling mobats and another bunch of them popping out from bushes. He muttered a curse, reaching for his pistol as the two horses trotted circles around the center of the group, carefully avoiding the Munchkins' sharp spears. But the two Equus seemed unperturbed, and simply kept moving.

"Caution! Use caution! This one has shifty eyes. Approach him warily, for we know not what he hides."

Cain had to keep his eyes from rolling at the observation.

"Move it or lose it, Munchkins!" he growled, already fed up. "We have a traveler who's fallen sick. We're trying to reach Farthin City. You let us through and none of you loses his feathers!"

"Who is this traveler, what is their name? Our spies say that it's from a great distance you came!"

"Her name doesn't matter. We're far from home and she needs a doctor," he turned and trained his gun on the one who kept talking. "Farthin City is the closest town. Now let us pass or it'll be open season on you turkeys. Or maybe I'll just take aim at your village. I'm sure a little target practice on some of those rope bridges will keep you tree-bound for some time. Even better, we'll work through some of these tethers; leave you down here for the lions and tigers."

"Oh my," the blue munchkin visibly paled, but regained his composure. "Very well, traveler, we shall cut you a deal. We shall let you pass, but this agreement must have a seal."

"You mean beyond letting you all live? Nothin' beyond that, blue-man, I've got enough ammo for all of you and don't think I won't use it one way or another. Now, _let us pass_," he let loose a warning shot into the canopy, scattering birds with the sound. The Munchkins took a quick step back, but started moving in the second the shock wore off. Cain aimed, firing at the tether that the blue munchkin had dropped on, clipping it clean through with a single shot. "That's one, how many more of you want to test my aim?" He let loose another, clipping a second rappel line. "Feedin' time should be soon, and I think my buddy here knows a few lion calls. Shall we test that, too?" A third bullet, a third line clipped.

"Let them pass, let them pass! Blue-hatt, you are far too stubborn. She is just a girl, and they are just travelers." The other Munchkins started to look uneasy as a fourth bullet took out another tether. The Tin Man glared at the blue tree-dweller balefully, challenging him to refuse. Finally, the one dubbed "Blue-hatt" finally nodded, signaling his fighters to return to the trees. Extra lines were dropped for the four who had lost theirs to Cain's bullets, and they disappeared.

Urging the horses into a run, the two riders and their passenger quickly made their way out of the forest, exiting the trees to vast grassland that faded to a sprawling city not far from the horizon. The rain was heavier out here, and it splashed in the faces of the Tin Man and Viewer, trickling down their necks and soaking their clothes as they sped across the grassland.

"Deege, you awake?" Cain murmured, his gaze dropping to the young woman cradled against him. A quiet groan was the only reply, followed by a wet cough that had her near doubling over as her entire body shook. He cursed, tugging her hood away to let the cool rain fall on her flushed face. "Come on, darlin', talk to me. We're almost there."

"Hurts . . ." the word was almost a sob.

"I know, darlin', I know. We're gettin' there, just stay with me." He held her tighter against him, feeling the heat that radiated off of her, and kicked the horse's barrel to urge it on. Despite the distance, it did not take long to reach the city gates, and within moments they were galloping up a hill toward the white building that could only be their destination. They found three orderlies waiting for them by the covered entrance to the emergency room, one of whom immediately turned and darted inside. A second took the horse's reins to steady them as the Raw dismounted and came around to help Cain with DG.

"Mister Cain, we're glad you made it safely," the third one greeted them warmly. "The doctor's been expecting you. My name's Marcus, I am one of the orderlies here. This is Sam, he'll be taking your horses to the stables, and Jeremiah went in to fetch the doctor."

Cain nodded a greeting as he took the princess into his arms, bending his head down slightly to see if she was awake. Her eyes were open, and she looked at him, but they were bright and unfocused, glazed over with her fever.

"Deege, come on, stay with me."

She tried to keep her eyes on Cain, tried to hold onto his voice, but her vision swam and her ears were starting to ring. The rain stopped as they stepped under the overhang, and the air warmed up as they entered the hospital. She vaguely heard a firm voice call out, but it took all her strength to hold onto Cain's cloak as he shook himself off, scattering water droplets over the floor, and could barely pay attention to anything. Even in her state, however, she didn't miss the sudden tensing-up of Cain's stance or his quick intake of breath. She looked up at him, blinking uncertainly.

"Wyatt?" She couldn't see his face, but she turned as best she could to look in the direction he was staring. A few moments passed as her tired brain registered what she was seeing, but she suddenly recoiled at the surprise of finding herself staring straight at her mother.


	5. Chapter 5: Day Six, Night Six

**Disclaimer: they're still not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

Cain felt DG stiffen in surprise when her gaze fell upon the woman standing in front of them, but he found himself relaxing the more he looked at her. It was her face that had caught him off guard, pulling his attention away from her other characteristics that pointed to the fact that she wasn't who they thought she was. First of all, her hair was dark, whereas the queen's hair was still the silvery-blonde that had resulted from giving DG second life. Secondly, the queen had violet-colored eyes; this woman had green.

His gaze remained on her as she approached them, her face creased in worry as she rested a hand on DG's forehead, which had furrowed in consternation as she watched the woman. But the doctor smiled tenderly, brushing a few hairs from the girl's eyes.

"Hello, dear, you probably don't remember me, do you?" Her voice was soft, reminiscent of the queen's with a similar accent, though with none of the hardened edge that Lavender Eyes had recently developed. "Don't worry, you're safe here, and we'll take good care of you." She turned to speak to the orderly named Marcus, who was standing nearby. "Let's start a chart; we'll put her in curtain area four, bed three." She looked back at the young woman, whose bright eyes still regarded her uncertainly. "Don't you worry, DG, there will be a lot going on for a while, but we'll get you settled soon enough."

A furry paw rested on Cain's shoulder, and he glanced over his shoulder, trying to keep at least half an eye on the doctor.

"Raw go out to stables, settle horses. Need time to build defense, many emotions running through hospital. Come find you when DG in room, bring packs." Cain nodded, and followed the doctor as she motioned him down the hall. She led him to the far side of the department, where there were mostly empty beds divided by curtains. She pushed open a door and into a smaller windowed room which held only a few beds with similar partitions, and nodded to one of the beds. Wyatt gently set DG down, helping her sit upright as the doctor pulled the curtains closed and took a hospital gown from a cupboard.

"Here we go, dear, let's get you out of those damp clothes, then you can lie down and get some rest."

"I'll be just outside the curtain, Deege, okay? I'll come right back in once you've changed."

She nodded, her hands fisting nervously in the sheets as she watched the doctor warily. He stepped out of the partitioned area, pulling off his cloak and fedora and dropping them on a chair as he tried to sort his thoughts out. He was starting to wonder what Ahamo had gotten them into. The door to the room opened, and a nurse dressed in bright purple scrubs poked her head in. He cast an appraising eye at her, guessing she was a little older than DG, but merely nodded a greeting as she came in, pulling a small cart behind her, and disappeared behind the curtain.

"You may come back in, Mister Cain," the doctor's voice came after a few minutes, and she pulled the partition back. The nurse was helping DG lie back, sliding a pillow under her head and draping a blanket over her, and lowered the back of the wheeled bed so the girl could lie flat. Cain moved to sit in the chair next to the bed, taking her hand and rubbing his thumb reassuringly over her knuckles, and supporting her behind the head as she slowly turned over to lie on her side. He glanced at the doctor, who nodded and smiled sadly at his silent question.

The nurse wrapped a blood-pressure cuff around DG's arm, pressing a few buttons on the machine and letting it tighten as she held a forehead thermometer to the young woman's temple. DG's hand squeezed his, and he squeezed back in silent response, giving her a reassuring smile as she blinked drowsily and turned her face into the pillow, trying to cover her eyes from the bright lights that filled the room.

"It's alright, Deege," he murmured, brushing a few stray hairs from her face. "Close your eyes and try to get some sleep, I can take care of everything."

She shook her head.

"I want to stay awake," she replied, though her voice was tired and he could hear it wavering. He nodded, his hand gently stroking up and down her arm.

"Blood pressure is one-thirty over ninety, doctor," the nurse said, writing notes on a chart she had brought with her. "Temperature is one-hundred and three."

"Blood pressure's a little high," the older woman mused, adjusting her stethoscope and holding it to DG's chest; she listened for a few moments before nodding and holding it to the young woman's back. "Heart sounds fine, no murmurs, though it's not beating as strongly as it could. Deep breaths, DG."

The room was silent for a few moments as the doctor listened to the princess's lungs, then she nodded again. "Coarse crackles in both lungs. I'm not surprised." She regarded the young woman's tired eyes for a moment before turning to Cain. "Has she been out of bed very much the past few days?"

Wyatt shook his head, watching as the queen's doppelganger carefully checked DG's eyes and ears.

"Only as she needed to, and even then she needed to be carried. From the first day she's had a hard time staying upright."

"And her vision and hearing?"

"She's complained of ringing in her ears, or of noises sounding like they're echoing or muddling together," he paused, thinking for a moment. "She's never mentioned anything about her vision, but it's pretty easy to tell when she's not seeing something; her eyes become unfocused and it takes her a longer time to react."

The doctor nodded, obviously a common reaction for her when she was conversing with people.

"Has she been able to eat anything since she became ill?"

"We were able to get some juice and broth into her a few times a day, but she could never keep any solid food down; the pain made her too nauseous. She had a sore throat for a couple days, and that made it harder for her to swallow."

"Alright. Jenna, use the chart to find her height and weight, then put in an order for a Codenerol drip with a Kneutrin booster every hour, and keep her on Hydrose and one-hundred-percent oxygen with constant heart and lung monitoring. Have Jeremiah call up to the station on the third floor and tell them we'll be bringing her up as soon as her I.V. is in. Make certain that they have a private room for her. I'm sending you up to be her nurse, so have Doctor Gabriel send Ezra down to take your place here." Her gaze fell to the young woman who was slowly drifting into sleep though she was fighting to keep her eyes open. "Let's bring some warm blankets in for her, they should help her sleep and keep her calm."

Jenna nodded, and quickly exited. Seconds after the door closed, a quick swipe of the doctor's hand had the blinds covering the windows snapping shut, a sound that nearly had Cain diving for the door and reaching for his six-shooter.

"Look, doc," he began, letting his breath out as he flopped back into his chair. "I don't. . . ."

"Everything will be explained soon, Mister Cain," the doctor's voice held a note of finality to it, uncannily similar to the tone that Queen Lavender's voice took on when she considered a subject closed. "For now, I ask you to trust me. I promise that nothing will happen to you, DG, or your Viewer friend while you are here."

Somewhat shocked, Cain could do little more than nod as he pulled the blankets up to DG's chin and took her hand in his. "We have a few things to do down here, but DG will be moved to a room up on the third floor. You will have more privacy there, and will be better able to control visitors. I just ask for an hour or so, and then we'll be able to move her."

Another nod. "Jenna will be right back in to start an I.V. Unfortunately, bright lights are impossible to avoid down here," she smiled sadly at the young princess, who was blinking uncomfortably as she tried to look away from anything that reflected the fluorescent lights, though it seemed that the energy to even turn her head away was swiftly leaving her. "When you're moved upstairs you'll be able to leave the lights off as long as you need to. I'll be by to see you soon, when we're ready to move you. Get some rest, dear, you're safe here. Mister Cain," she nodded at the Tin Man before quietly leaving, turning a few of the ceiling lights off before closing the door behind her. Wyatt took a few moments to shake off his surprise before letting his grip tighten slightly over DG's hand, his other hand gently rubbing her arm.

The princess looked up at him, her hand coming up and brushing across her eyes as she tried to focus her vision.

"I'm tired, Wyatt," she murmured, her voice sounding far away to her own ears.

"I know, sweetheart," he replied. "Why don't you try to get some sleep? Nothing's going to happen to you, we're safe and you need your rest. Forcing yourself to stay awake is only going to make it harder for you to get better."

"I won't be able to, not with everything they still need to do," she murmured, blinking tiredly. "Wyatt, who was that?"

"I'm not sure, Deege," he sighed, his hand still ghosting over her arm, trying to lull her to sleep. "But I think we can trust her. Raw didn't seem to get any bad feelings from her, so I think we'll just wait and see if we find out later."

She seemed to think that one over for a moment. "Where _is_ Raw?" She looked up at him.

"He's out at the stables, building up a defense against this place before he comes in. Lots of emotions are running rampant around here; he'd probably get overwhelmed if he didn't try to block them. He'll come back in when he's ready."

She nodded; her hand tightening around his as her body suddenly shook with a coughing fit, though it wasn't as severe as before. His free hand moved to her back, rubbing between her shoulder blades.

"God, I hate hospitals," she wheezed as her breathing evened out.

"Had experience with them before, have you?" he chuckled at her comment.

"Yeah, kind of. Got into a road accident on my motorcycle once. Had to spend a week in the hospital before I could go home, then go back two or three times a week for checkups and physical therapy. I thought I was going to go crazy." She reached up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm not looking forward to staying here for another two weeks." Her brow furrowed, then, and she frowned. "If we even end up being here that long," she added quietly.

Cain caught her meaning immediately, and brushed away a tear that was starting to trickle down her face.

"Don't you be thinking like that, Deege. There is always the chance that you'll make it out of here just fine. Listen to me, because this is something that we're going to promise to each other. While we're here, we're not going to worry about what may or may not happen tomorrow, or the day after that, or next week. We're going to take this one day at a time and work through the problems as we get to them, okay?"

She nodded, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes. Cain's hand gently framed her face, his thumb brushing her cheek as he held her hand. "I love you," he murmured, leaning forward and resting his forehead on hers. "We're going to get through this."

She nodded again, her gaze locked onto his as she felt the strength he was giving her.

"I love you too, Wyatt."

"Knock, knock," a quiet voice came from the door. "It okay if I come in?"

"Yeah, come on in," Wyatt replied, leaning back in his chair.

Jenna appeared from around the curtain, a small stack of blankets clutched in her arms.

"Here we go, DG, these will help you relax. I know it's easy to get nervous when you have to stay at the hospital." She shook out each of the two blankets and draped them over the young woman. "Mister Cain, since she's so close to falling asleep, what I think I'll have you do is hold her while I'm putting her I.V. in. That way you can kind of talk her through it and hold her still if she tries to move."

Cain nodded. "I can do that."

Jenna pulled a drawer open and took out a long strip of laminated paper that had been folded over itself several times into a booklet.

"DG, can you straighten yourself out? Instead of having you stand up, we're going to use this to figure out your height and weight."

The princess didn't move for a moment as her tired brain processed what the nurse had asked her, but she finally wriggled around under the blankets and managed to lie straight. Jenna unfolded the booklet and held one end near the top of DG's head while pulling the other end to her feet, tilting her head to read the colored bar on the chart.

"Height five-six, weight one hundred and fifteen? Does that sound about right to you?" she cast a questioning glance at Cain and DG, who both nodded. "Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes, I just want to make sure she's calm and warm before I try to put an I.V. in." She glanced at DG's chart for a moment, adding a brief note, then nodded and tucked it under her arm. "I'll be back in a bit." She smiled and disappeared.

DG's hand tightened almost imperceptibly around Wyatt's, and his gaze fell to the princess. Despite the warmed blankets, she still shivered slightly and her tired eyes were bright with tears.

"You need to be held, Deege?" he murmured. It was a strange question, he knew, but he'd noticed that when she was nervous or upset the best thing he could give her was human contact.

She nodded wordlessly, tears streamed down her face as she reached up for him, and he carefully took her into his arms and held her tightly, adjusting his hold to keep the blankets in place.

"It's alright, sweetheart; there's a lot going on right now, but once they're finished down here then we'll go upstairs and you can sleep and get back to fighting this bug off. You've got to calm down, though; you're getting yourself all worked up and it's going to make it harder for both you and your doctors. You've got to promise me that you'll hold still when Jenna's putting your I.V. in. You can squeeze my hand as hard as you need to, but you've got to hold still."

"I promise," she whispered, her voice wavering

The two of them sat in silence for several long minutes. Wyatt felt that it was taking far too long for her to stop shivering, though he could tell she was trying to match her breathing to his like he had told her to do before. He reached up to gently rub the back of her neck, but she winced softly at his touch and squirmed uncomfortably.

"You startin' to hurt again, darlin'?" he murmured, letting his arm wrap back around her. She nodded, though she tried to snuggle up against him even tighter.

"It'll make it hurt more, when they put the I.V. in," she said quietly.

"Yeah, it will," he agreed. "When the nurse comes back in, I'll ask her if there's anything they can do."

She nodded again, her body shuddering as a cough rumbled in her chest, but she rested her forehead against his neck as she was slowly able to relax against him. She stayed quiet for so long that Cain thought she had finally fallen asleep, so he simply held her

The room's door quietly opened, and he glanced down to see if she really was asleep, though her half-lidded eyes looked back at him. "You ready?"

Her eyes opened slightly at his question, though they quickly fell closed again as she nodded, pressing herself closer to Wyatt. Jenna poked her head around the curtain.

"How's everything going?" she asked quietly.

"I think we're ready. Her pain's starting to flare up again, though, and I'm worried that it will make it harder to get the I.V. in if it hurts her more. Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm not sure," Jenna replied, glancing through DG's chart. "It says that she's experienced two different kinds of pain during her illness, one that's in the skin and one that's in her muscles. Which one is she feeling now?"

Cain looked down at the young woman cradled against his chest whose eyes had opened again.

"It's the muscle pain," she sighed, turning to bury her eyes against his chest.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing we have that can help with that. We'd be able to sedate you, which might take the edge off, but we don't have anything that will numb muscle pain."

DG shook her head, "No, I want to stay awake."

"Alright, I'll bring everything over to this side so you can stay where you are. Mister Cain, if you could move your chair closer to the bed so she has something to rest her hand on?"

"Sure," he replied, carefully holding DG with one arm as he stood up halfway to pull the chair closer to the bed. "Alright, Deege, take a couple big breaths. She's just going to look first."

Jenna pulled the cart over, sharing a sympathetic glance with Cain as she pulled on a pair of gloves and started opening the small packages that the cart held.

"Okay, DG, let me take a look. I'll let you know when I'm going to do anything, so you can look away."

The princess reluctantly pulled her left arm free of the blanket and rested it on the edge of the bed, taking Cain's hand in her other hand and burying her face against his chest. Jenna tied a rubber tourniquet around her wrist and bent her hand forward, rubbing at a spot with her thumb.

"She's just lookin', Deege, keep taking your deep breaths and try to relax."

"Okay, you're going to feel just a cold wipe, DG, nothing else yet."

DG's grip tightened around Wyatt's hand, and his other hand came up and cradled her head against his shoulder.

"You're doing fine, darlin'. Come on, big breaths for me," he glanced up at Jenna, who nodded. "Alright, Deege, hold still and just squeeze my hand as hard as you need to."

"A big pinch, DG."

The young woman suddenly shuddered in his embrace, her grip turning into a vise-like grasp and a strangled whimper escaping her as her eyes squeezed closed.

"Almost done, sweetheart," Cain whispered. "You're almost done, just a little longer."

"Keep holding still, DG," Jenna encouraged her. "You're doing great."

"Hear that? You're doin' great," he brushed his thumb over DG's knuckles.

"Why is it taking so long?" she whimpered.

"I just have to make sure that I got it in, hun," the nurse replied. "I've got to be careful or I might have to try another vein if I don't get it right. That's why it's so important that you hold still. I'm almost done, just a little longer."

"You're okay, darlin', you're gettin' through it."

DG's hand tightened slightly around his again, and she held back a choked sob. Jenna finally took a few strips of tape and fastened down the small port she had put into DG's hand.

"All done, DG, it's in."

The young woman slowly took her arm back and pulled it under the blankets, her small frame shaking as she tried to hold back her tears. Wyatt nodded at the nurse, adjusting his embrace around DG, and the nurse smiled back as she picked up a few pieces of garbage and quietly left the room.

Cain held DG as she cried, though he could tell by the sound that her tears were no longer from the pain but from exhaustion.

"Darlin, why don't you try to sleep? All the hard stuff is over and done with."

She shook her head, though the action was so small he would have missed it if she wasn't leaning against him. "What's wrong, sweetheart? I know you're tired, why don't you let yourself fall asleep?"

"I'm scared, Wyatt."

"Of what? Nothing's gonna happen to you, we're safe here."

"What if I don't wake up?"

Cain froze at her question, long enough for her to look up at him with her question in her tired eyes. He couldn't honestly say that he had thought of that before.

"You will, Deege. If you let yourself sleep, I promise I'll wake you up." He craned his neck around, trying to see the clock on the wall. "It's about three-thirty right now. I'll wake you up around midnight if you're not already awake, alright? Even if it's just to wake you up before you fall back to sleep."

"Promise?" she murmured, already starting to relax against him, her voice quiet as she finally drifted off.

"Promise," he whispered.

* * *

Hours later, the picture was the same, though much had changed. They had been moved up to a private room on the third floor, with a larger bed for DG and two smalls cots for Cain and Raw. The Viewer had made a brief appearance shortly afterwards, bringing their packs in and setting up one of the cots for himself, then disappeared again to see whether his healing gift or his empathy could be of use elsewhere in the hospital. DG's I.V. drip had been set up, small electrodes attached to her chest to monitor her heart-rate and breathing, and a thin tube put into her nose to keep oxygen flowing into her lungs. The nurse, Jenna, had come in every hour or so to check the princess's temperature and to inject a booster shot into the girl's I.V. port. Yet despite all this, Cain was still sitting near her bed, the young woman cradled against his chest as she slept fitfully, her brow furrowing and quiet whimpers escaping her as she dreamt, only stilled by Wyatt's comforting whispers.

Despite his many annuals spent walking beats in Central City and then on the Mystic Man's protection detail, Wyatt Cain had never claimed to be smart in the ways of the world. He knew the streets and back-roads of the shining city like the back of his hand, and his gift for reading other peoples' tells was known for being on the same level as the empathy of even the most skilled Viewers and Psychics. But he was still unnerved, scared even, by things he did not understand. Facing off against a pack of Longcoats while being shackled to a log was easy enough, but standing by while watching his closest friend, the woman he loves, falls victim to a disease that was rarely survived turned the streetwise and battle-ready Tin Man into just another person.

He had been scared before, realizing that there was little he could do to help DG in her fight and even less he could do to convince the queen to change her mind. But in the few short hours since they had been admitted to the hospital the measures that had been taken to keep the princess alive and comfortable more closely resembled what might be done for a patient recovering from major surgery than one fighting a disease that should have been dealt with fifteen annuals before. He didn't understand what had happened to make DG deserving of this, why this all was happening to her, but if he had been scared before he was downright terrified now.

The young woman in question shuddered in his arms, drawing his attention away from the window as he bent his head and planted a soft kiss in her hair.

"It's alright, Deege," he murmured, rubbing her arm over the blankets that covered her. "You're okay, it's just a dream."

DG's brow slowly smoothed out at his words, though she turned her face into his chest as a tear trickled down her cheek. Her breathing evened out as she fell back to sleep, and Wyatt rested his chin on the crown of DG's head, letting his eyes fall closed as he listened to the steady beeping of the heart monitor.

"A copper for your thoughts, Mister Cain?" a quiet voice asked from the doorway. He turned to see the doctor standing in the doorway, a mere silhouette in the light from the hallway that dimly illuminated the dark room.

"I was just watching her sleep," he replied, keeping his gaze steadily on the doctor as she came into the room and sat at the edge of the bed. She was no longer wearing her white coat; he guessed that she was off duty for the night. He glanced at the machines that lined the wall near DG's bed, the I.V. pump that hung from the ceiling by a jointed arm. "Is it always like this?"

"It is. For those who seek our help when this disease takes hold, it is."

"What is it all for?"

She regarded him for a moment, her green eyes appearing darker in the dim room.

"The Codenerol is a painkiller, the Kneutrin is a vitamin shot, and the Hydrose is just to keep her hydrated. People who have this disease generally lose their appetite before any of the other symptoms present themselves; dehydration and malnutrition are common. I was surprised to hear that you were able to get her to eat anything, but I have no doubt that it has helped her. The monitors and oxygen are a necessity, unfortunately, with her high blood pressure and the difficulty she's had with breathing."

Cain frowned, his eyes returning to the darkening sky beyond the window for a moment before falling to the young woman nestled against him. She had started shivering again, her eyes squeezed closed and tears glittering on her cheeks as her breath hitched in her chest.

"DG, it's alright," his hand came up to cradle her head against his shoulder, his thumb brushing the tears away. The doctor stood and went to a warming cupboard that sat in the corner, pulling out a blanket and bringing it back to drape over the sleeping girl before returning to her seat. Cain nodded a silent thanks as DG struggled for a moment against the subtle weight change, her hand unconsciously closing around his shirt, but just as quickly she relaxed as sleep overcame her again. The Tin Man's gaze flickered back to the doctor, who was watching him expectantly as though she knew he had questions. "Who are you?" he finally asked.

"I am DG's aunt, twin sister of Lavender. My name is Ivy."

"Why are you here?"

"I was dismissed from court many annuals ago, when DG was barely two and my mother was still queen. Since then I have made my life here, using what magic I have to help others as I was never able to as a princess."

"Your sister has never come looking for you?"

"We were not particularly close as children, not like DG and Azkadellia are. She's the older twin, making her the heir and myself the spare, and it affected how we treated each other even in childhood. She has never looked for me, and when she gave up her own magic she was no longer able to sense mine, therefore keeping me well-hidden. My brother-in-law, Ahamo, is the one who has kept in touch with me all these annuals, and the one who contacted me concerning DG's illness," she smiled ruefully. "If what he tells me is true, then my sister has turned out more like our mother than she ever wanted to."

"What do you mean?"

"Our mother, Queen Erynne of the House of Gale, was well-known for ruling the kingdom and our family with a steel fist. This was no monarchy when she was on the throne, this was a dictatorship, and was even more so after our father died. Lavender always swore that she would not be the same way, that she would be a fair and just ruler, compassionate towards her people and a loving mother to her children. And she was. She loved Azkadellia and Dorothy as a mother should, and cared for her kingdom and her followers as she believed a queen should. But these past fifteen annuals have changed her." Ivy's smile saddened. "I have no doubt that she feels her compassion for her children and her kingdom are what put them in so much danger in the first place, and has therefore taken after our mother."

"It's done wonders for the Zone," Cain grumbled. "But her attitude toward her own daughters leaves a lot to be desired."

Ivy nodded. "Ahamo told me about the conditions for you being here, though I can only say that it is precisely how our mother would be. As much as she may have loved us, she did not show it except in her never-ending mission to present a strong front to the kingdom so that our family would remain safe."

"So all this is because of some twisted sense of love that Queen Lavender has for DG?"

"If you wish to put it that way, Mister Cain, then yes, it is."

Wyatt frowned slightly, his thoughts turning to the others they had met since they had reached the hospital.

"Does anyone here know about this?"

"If you're wondering whether anyone knows who I am, the answer is no. To them, I am simply Doctor Ivy. Do they know that DG is my niece? Yes, they do, but none of them will make the connection. Our nursing units are all well-programmed, and they only know what they are meant to; they're not meant to make connections based on assumptions."

"'Nursing units'?"

"Indeed, the only humans that work in this hospital are the doctors themselves; everyone else is a nurture unit of one series or another. All they know is what they read on charts and identification bracelets, as well as what they are told. Everyone who will be caring for DG knows that she must be kept hidden. You'll have to forgive me for how we identify her on her bracelet and chart; it was Ahamo's idea, and at such short notice we couldn't think of anything better."

One eyebrow rose on Cain's forehead, and he untangled DG's arm from beneath the blankets to glance at her I.D. bracelet, the other eyebrow suddenly shooting up to join the other.

"DG _Cain_?"

"Far too many questions would be asked if the other doctors found out that we had a female patient whose guardian was a male she was not related to. A married couple who simply don't have rings is a much more believable story, especially in this time of rebuilding when many newly-married couples don't have rings. As unorthodox as it is, it is the best way to keep you safe while you are here."

"And if someone comes looking for us? Wouldn't they recognize my name?"

"I trust all of the doctors in this hospital, and even if I didn't they would know better than to test the powers of a mage. The nursing units are programmed to not share any information about the patients they care for. You have nothing to worry about."

Wyatt nodded, sighing as he turned to look out the window, thinking to himself. The only sound in the room as he mulled over what Ivy had told him was the heart monitor's gentle beeping. When he did not speak, the doctor nodded and slowly stood, taking up the plastic bag of DG's belongings as well as the damp clothes that the Tin Man had changed out of. "I'll take these home and dry them for you, and bring them back after my next shift. Jenna knows what needs to be done, she'll take care of you, and Doctor Gabriel is the best in his field. I'll come by to visit after my shift tomorrow."

"Thank you."

Ivy paused in the doorway, her eyebrows knitting as she turned to him. "For doing all of this for us," Cain clarified. "I appreciate what you're doing for DG, and for Raw and myself."

"She is family, Mister Cain," the doctor replied. "That makes you and Raw family, too. Make sure to get some sleep yourself tonight, let us worry about DG for now."


	6. Chapter 6: Night Seven

**Disclaimer: if you recognize it from somewhere else, it's not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

Azkadellia turned the page of her novel, her eyes gazing over the rows and rows of print without really reading anything. For what seemed to be the thousandth time in two days, her thoughts left the book and turned to her sister, and she dropped the tome into her lap as she looked out the library window.

The giant picture window faced the eastern horizon, now ablaze with the oranges, yellows and pinks of sunset. She could see beyond the city walls from here, out past the Papay fields to the faint stripe of shadow at the horizon. The trees of Munchkin territory, barely visible even from the hilltop city. She knew DG was out there, in some unreachable place where their mother couldn't find her, a safe haven where she had the chance to get better. The elder princess had tried to find her younger sister, had reached out to the town where their father had said she would be; but alongside the shield she had placed on DG, Cain, and Raw there was the magical protection the hospital provided as well as that from Ivy. Az sighed, yearning to hear from the three travelers, wishing that she could connect to her sister and let her know that everything would be alright. However, just as Ahamo had decided, there was no communication between them; they all recognized the need to keep the night-time escape a secret.

She slipped a scrap piece of paper between the pages of her book, planning to return to her reading at some point even if she didn't know when. A red pencil suddenly appeared in her hand, and she added one more tally mark to the small row of lines on the paper. Two red marks, one for each day they had been gone. Before then, the marks were blue. Seven days since DG had gotten sick, two of which had been spent in masquerade as though the young princess and her protector were still here. Az had visited DG's empty room several times in the past two days, just as she would have if there had been a reason for it, taking the time between lessons or meetings with her parents and various ambassadors from around the Zone to rush away as though she was needed there. Ahamo had done the same thing, as had Tutor and Glitch, all for the simple reason of keeping DG safe from her own mother. Beyond the four of them, no one knew the truth. The Consort had forbidden all palace staff from entering the room, though he did not go into the details of his youngest daughter's illness. No one questioned this, nor did they wonder at the absence of the former Tin man, for Ahamo had not been lying when he said that Jeb was an acceptable substitute for his father's office. The youngest princess was sick, and only those closest to her were allowed to see her; that was all that anyone needed to know.

The princess stood, tucking the book under her arm and turning to leave the library. She decided to turn in early tonight, after one last "visit" to her sister's empty room. As much as it hurt to sit by the vacant bed, not knowing when or if DG would ever be back, she knew that it was important to keep up the charade in order to keep her safe.

The long halls of the palace were quiet, for many of its inhabitants had retired to their quarters until morning. Only the occasional flicker of a lamp or the silent salute of a night watchman created any sort of movement in the shadowed hallway. Az paused at the solid wooden door that led to her sister's room, sighing quietly to herself before entering and dreading the time she needed to spend there.

* * *

The door latched closed behind her, and with a quick twitch of her wrist she locked it from the inside, just as Cain would have done had he been there. Another long hour of sitting in that lonely room, attempting to read and staring longingly out the window, and she couldn't take any more. After watching the birds that had gathered on the balcony to feast on the food she had left there, the food that had supposedly been brought in for Wyatt and DG, Az had finally decided to leave the empty chamber and retire for the night.

"My Azkadellia?"

Hearing her mother's voice so close behind her made her jump; she hadn't known the queen could have such a knack for sneaking up on people.

"Mother," she turned quickly, hoping that Lavender had not seen her lock the door. "You startled me."

"I went to look for you in the library, but the night guards told me that you were here."

"I was visiting DG, mother," the princess replied, thankful that she didn't need to brush away the few tears that had fallen, knowing that they would add to the charade. Not that Lavender would need to know the true reason for her eldest daughter's tears. "I wanted to spend some time with her and say goodnight before I went to bed."

"How is she?"

"There's been no change. Her fever is high, but it's at least steady for now." Az tried to gracefully move away from the door, not wanting to give away how nervous she was and knowing how perceptive her mother could be. Lavender was watching her daughter keenly.

"Do you suppose that DG would like another visitor tonight?"

The princess almost froze in her tracks, though she forced herself to calmly turn toward the queen.

"She fell asleep not long ago, and Mister Cain is planning on doing the same. He has already locked the door for the night."

"Surely he would not object to me visiting my own daughter."

"But he would question it, I have no doubt. DG's been ill for a week, mother, why the sudden interest in it when you've flat-out refused to visit her until now?"

"Because I was wrong, Azkadellia."

That gave the princess reason to stop. She had never heard her mother admit to being wrong before, certainly not within recent memory. Lavender was a different person than Az remembered from her childhood, but at this moment she seemed less of the dictatorial monarch she had become and more like the mother and queen that the eldest princess remembered.

"Be that as it may, Mister Cain has already retired for the night, and I feel that he should be given the space he needs. Out of any of us, he's the one who has spent the most time caring for DG; he deserves the rest. As for myself, I'm going to bed as well. Goodnight mother," she nodded briefly and turned to go to her chambers, trying to ignore the feeling of the queen's eyes boring into her back.

* * *

"Princess Azkadellia! Your Highness! Princess Azkadellia!" The voice was muffled by the heavy chamber door, though the loud knocking more than made up for it. Az frowned as she came out of her room, pulling a dressing gown on over her nightclothes. Unlocking the door to the hallway, her frown deepened to find one of the maids standing there, her face flustered.

"Bella, what is it?" the princess asked, ushering the young woman into the sitting room. "What's the matter?"

"Your father asked me to come fetch you, Your Highness," Bella curtsied nervously. "He asked that I send you to meet him at your sister's room."

"My sister's room?"

"Yes, Your Highness." The maid curtsied again, though she had barely stood straight again before Az was out the door and halfway down the hall.

* * *

"Lavender, trust me, it's not what you think!"

"It's not what I think? Tell me, Ahamo, what am I thinking, then? I come to visit my youngest daughter when she's ill, and must argue with both my eldest daughter as well as my husband before I am allowed into her chambers, only to find that she's not here. It seems as though the Tin Man, Wyatt Cain, has disappeared as well."

Az leaned against the doorframe for a moment, catching her breath before she was pulled into the argument. For Ozma's sake, she could hear her parents fighting from down the hall. The door to DG's chambers was wide open; she recognized Ahamo's ring of keys hanging below the doorknob, the key used to unlock the door still wedged into the keyhole.

"You're thinking that Mister Cain has run away with DG in some daring rescue attempt, and was able to talk their friend Raw into helping him." Ahamo's voice was calmer now, and Az slowly strode into the room, finding not only her parents but Glitch and Tutor there as well. "You're thinking that we all planned not to tell you for fear of what you might do, and while you're madder than a wet Papay you're also scared that you'll never see DG again and somewhat disappointed in Mister Cain."

Lavender stared at her husband, a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

"You know me so well, don't you?" she finally laughed, lowering herself onto a nearby chair.

"Fifteen annuals has changed nothing, my dear, I like to think I know you just as well as I did then. But, as I said before, this isn't what you think it is. It was not Mister Cain's plan to sneak DG away, it was mine."

The queen's violet gaze flew to him, her eyebrows arching in surprise.

"Yours? Ahamo, how could you do such a thing?"

"You did not see her, Lavender. If you had, you would understand why. I could not let my youngest child go through that sort of pain and not lift a finger to help her."

"I wanted her to stay here, with her family! You know as well as I do that the illness she has offers a grim prognosis, especially for someone her age! I would have much preferred that she stay here and die in peace."

"You assume that she would die? Even during the time the witch was in power, medical technology grew in leaps and bounds, there is a chance that she will live! Getting her away from the city and to a place where she could receive the attention she needs gave her that chance!"

"And if they miss that chance, then what? Will we hear from some heartless doctor with condolences that they tried everything they could but DG still could not be saved? Will we hear that Wyatt Cain, close friend of the youngest princess, has disappeared in his grief?" Lavender's eyes flickered with an anger that Az had never seen before, and the shock of seeing it had the young woman taking a step back in surprise. She jumped slightly at the feel of someone's hand in her own, and she turned to find Glitch standing by her side, a tight grin on his face but his eyes reassuring. "How could you stand there and send our daughter away? Have you no heart?"

"Don't speak to father that way!" Az found herself moving forward, glaring at her mother, her voice a low growl that shocked everyone in the room. "It was the hardest thing for both of us to see DG leave, we had no idea if we would ever see her again, and we still don't! You're one to speak about having a heart, seeing as how you flat-out refused to visit DG until half an hour ago! We had to sneak her out to keep her safe from you! You and your need to be strong, to project the image that we're strong enough to take on all the worries of the zone, to put up such a front that caring for your _own daughter_ took second place to your need to regain control under any circumstances. You know that there are doctors who have been loyal to us the whole time, who would have been happy and honored to come and take care of her. But you saw even that as a sign of weakness, and your twisted sense of pride and your need for control are what truly put DG's life in danger, not the virus she has. You never saw her, never had to see the pain she was in, never had to see everything we had to do just to keep her alive! As hard as it was to watch her go, making her stay and doing nothing to help her would have been harder because then we would have known that it was hopeless."

The queen had gotten to her feet during Azkadellia's rant, though now that the princess had shared her mind and was starting to calm down she realized that her mother hadn't stood up in shock but in an effort to resume her regal air. The anger still simmered in the queen's violet eyes, and the entire room seemed to shift uneasily as a decidedly magical static filled the air. Az glanced at Tutor, who seemed just as shocked as anyone, and willed herself to turn back to her mother, shivering slightly as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end.

"Be that as it may, Azkadellia, it was my direct order that DG remain here. And while I am disappointed in you and your father, I cannot overlook the treason that has been committed by Mister Cain and Raw. They will be found, DG will be brought back, and the Tin Man and the Viewer will be sentenced in a way befitting those who stand against the crown."


	7. Chapter 7: Day Nine, Night Nine

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it from somewhere else, it's not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

Wyatt leaned back in his chair, quietly observing the room around him, the meal sitting on the small table in front of him momentarily forgotten. The cafeteria in the basement of the hospital was a perpetually bustling place, regardless of the time of day, though the makeup of the group of diners varied depending on the hour. At the moment, the lunchtime rush of outpatients and hospital visitors was gradually dying down while the stream of doctors in their dark blue scrubs and white lab coats and the purple-clad nursing units was slowly trickling in, taking what minutes they could to grab a bite to eat or a quick cup of coffee. Medical students dotted the large room as well; their status depicted by their lighter-blue scrubs and shorter lab coats. A few hospital visitors still remained, mostly those who were staying with a family member or friend who was hospitalized, and he exchanged a brief smile with a young man sitting a few tables away that he recognized from the third floor.

DG's condition had remained remarkably stable the past few days, her temperature hovering in a low-grade fever that still left her constantly exhausted, though the waves of pain had settled enough that the medication she was on could keep them under control. She was in a persistent state of discomfort, however, as her body fought to regulate her temperature; the past two nights had been spent pulling the blankets over her shivering frame when she had kicked them off in her sleep, and they had needed to change her gown and sheets several times after they had been soaked through by her feverish sweat. Still, she'd been able to get out of bed and walk around each day, something that both Ivy and Doctor Gabriel had been insistent upon, and her appetite had returned enough that she was able to at least get some food down.

_Which reminds me._ He glanced at the clock on the wall and hurried to finish his food. He hadn't planned to even leave DG's room, but the princess had been sleeping and Raw promised to sit with her while the Tin Man went for a bite to eat. It was a system, he supposed, that he and the Viewer had fallen into. It was obvious that DG was more comfortable when she knew that Wyatt was there, and as such he only left her side when she slept, even though he preferred to not leave at all. Raw understood the connection that Cain and DG shared, and was never put off when the princess asked him where Wyatt had gone. He would merely hold her hand and comfort her until the Tin Man returned from wherever he was, and then would step aside and go elsewhere in the hospital to see if he could be of help.

Cain swiftly stood up, dropping his trash into a garbage can and leaving his tray on the stack ready to go back into the kitchens. Waiting by the elevator out in the hallway, his eyes scanned over the bulletins posted on the wall nearby. There was nothing of importance, as far as he could tell. A carnival for the patients in the children's ward was coming up in a few days, and a book sale benefitting the hospital was scheduled for next week. His brow suddenly furrowed as his gaze fell upon a sheaf of bright red posters that had been fastened to the wall, and he fought to keep his breathing steady as he walked up closer, cursing silently as he found himself staring back from a black-and-white photo alongside similar snapshots of DG and Raw. Reaching out, he pulled one of the "Lost" posters from the wall, trying to keep himself from snatching the entire stack and tossing it in the trash.

"You heading up?"

"Huh?" he turned toward the voice, recognizing the young man he had seen before holding the elevator doors open.

"Were you waiting to head up?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks," he muttered, his mind racing as he tried to keep his face hidden from the other man, every nerve suddenly on edge.

"No problem," the younger man stepped back as Wyatt entered the elevator, seemingly unaware of the Tin Man's dilemma. "I've seen you up on the third floor a few times, figured that's where you were going."

"Right, you're at the other end of the hall from us."

"Yes sir, the name's Asa Mercer," he extended his hand to Cain.

"Wyatt Cain," he tentatively shook the man's hand. "You're here with your daughter, right?"

"I am. She caught the blazerash before she could get the vaccine for it, so we had to bring her here."

"I'm sorry. How old is she?"

"She just turned five, so the doctor thinks she has a good chance of getting through it. How about you?"

"It's my wife that's sick. They're not sure what it is, so we're just trying to keep her comfortable until either it passes or they can figure something out. I'm just glad we were near the town when she got sick." At Asa's questioning glance, Wyatt sighed. "Our home was destroyed during the sorceress's rule, after she found out we were part of the resistance. We're having it rebuilt, but in the meantime we've been travelling. She wanted to see other parts of the realm."

"Where are you from?"

"Ronlin, though we just came from farther north."

"Don't suppose you've seen them on your travels, have you?"

"Who?"

"Them," the younger man nodded at the poster Wyatt held, and the Tin Man glanced at it again, trying to keep his eyebrows from knitting in confusion.

"Hard to say, we've met so many people in the past few months. Though it says they've only been missing a few days, and we didn't encounter anyone who looks like them."

"Rumor has it that they were kidnapped by rogue Longcoats."

Cain forced himself to chuckle. "Well, we haven't encountered any Longcoats, either. Things have been so quiet I'd guess that either the rumors are wrong or the Longcoats are just biding their time."

The elevator finally came to a stop, and the doors opened. Wyatt managed to hold back a sigh of relief as they stepped out onto the third floor and turned their separate ways, nodding to each other, though he came close to running for their room and locking the door behind him. He knew he had to keep calm, though, if for nothing else than for DG's sake, so he folded the paper up and stuck it in his pocket, planning on bringing it up with Ivy as soon as he could so they could get out of Farthin City the first chance they had.

He frowned slightly as he entered their room, realizing that Raw had disappeared. A tray holding a half-full glass of juice and an empty bowl sat on the table next to DG's bed, though the only other sign that the princess had stirred since he left was the fact that she was lying in a different position.

"Raw was needed down in the ER," her quiet voice broke the silence, her hand coming up to rub at her eyes as she glanced tiredly at him. "He said you'd be back soon, so I told him to go ahead."

"Was I back soon enough?"

"Yeah," she smiled slightly as he sat down next to her, brushing a few stray hairs from her eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

"Still tired."

Cain's hand gently framed her face, his thumb brushing her temple. She was shivering slightly, though her hospital gown was damp with sweat.

"You want to call Jenna in?" he murmured. "We'll get you cleaned up and changed into a dry gown?"

The girl nodded, and he reached over to the wall to hit the nurse's call button before he carefully helped her sit up and bring her legs over the side of the bed. She grimaced at the movement, a quiet wince escaping her before she could stop it. "Deege?"

She glanced at him, uncertainty written across her face. She had been up and out of bed a number of times since they had arrived at the hospital, but her pain hadn't flared up in two days. "It's okay, darlin'," the Tin Man sighed, leaning over and kissing her temple. "We'll tell Jenna that we need to change the dosage again."

"No," she said, shaking her head tiredly. "It's fine for now."

Wyatt opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it. He could understand DG's reasoning, at least he thought he could. With the outcome of her illness so uncertain, pain reminded her that she was still alive. It gave her the strength to keep going a while longer.

The nursing unit breezed in, carrying fresh bed linens and a dry gown for DG, and with a practiced efficiency she unhooked the princess from the array of machines that lined the wall by her bed, giving her one more boost of the painkiller before unplugging the I.V. tubing and flushing out the port in DG's hand. Cain took up the new hospital gown and tucked it under his arm, then steadied DG as she stood. The girl's legs shook as they made their way to the small bathroom, her muscles weak from lack of use, but the grip she kept on Wyatt's hand never wavered.

Closing the bathroom door behind them, the Tin Man helped DG sit down on the wide edge of the bathtub and knelt down to turn on the taps. Once the water warmed up, he dropped the stopper in the drain, his gaze turning to the young woman sitting beside him. Knowing they needed to uphold the charade that they were husband and wife did little to prevent the pink tinge shading his ears. Anyone, including the nursing units, could become suspicious if Wyatt left DG alone too much, even in the name of propriety. DG's cheeks colored slightly as well, though she was thankful he was still willing to help her regardless of how uncomfortable he might have been with it. But they had gone through this at least once in each of the past few days, ever since her doctor decided that she should get out of bed and walk around as she was able to, and they were at least familiar with how to make it best work if not completely at ease with it.

While they waited for the small tub to fill, Cain handed her one of the large towels that hung on the wall. Waiting until he turned his back, she shrugged out of her hospital gown and wrapped the towel around herself, carefully covering the electrodes and wires that still clung to her chest so that they wouldn't get wet. Toeing out of the bright blue skid-socks the hospital had given her, she couldn't help but smile a little. Parallel universe or no, some things never changed.

"Okay."

At her quiet voice, Wyatt turned back around and helped the princess turn so her feet rested in the few inches of water in the tub. He turned the taps off and reached for a washcloth he had left there the other day, soaping it up for her and simply keeping a steadying hand on her shoulder as she ran it over her feverish skin. It was only a few short minutes before she glanced at him, silently asking for help as her unusually bright eyes told him that the virus was quickly gaining strength again. Even just sitting up straight was taking its toll on her, and he couldn't miss the pain that flickered across her face as he rinsed away the last of the soap and washed her hair. Pulling the plug out of the drain, he grabbed another towel and quickly helped her dry off, trying to fend off the chills that were certain to run through her otherwise. He held the clean gown up for her as she slipped her arms through the sleeves, tying it in the back before reaching over to the sink to pick up her brush.

"You doin' alright, darlin'?" he asked quietly, rubbing the towel over her head again before carefully brushing through the tangles in her damp hair. She nodded, but raised a shaking hand to her mouth as her small frame convulsed with a coughing fit. Her chest gurgled, the sound growing louder as her lungs fought to get rid of the offending gunk, and he gently rubbed her back. "That's it, Deege, cough it up and spit it out." She finally leaned over, spitting into the tub as the last of the bathwater drained out, her flushed face drawn as she held her sides.

"That hurt," she whispered. Cain's brows knit together; that kind of pain hadn't happened before.

"How does it hurt, Deege?"

"Like . . . like something's wrapped around my chest too tightly." She rubbed one hand over her ribs. "It hurts to breathe in. Kind of like how it felt after the Grey Gale."

Wyatt was taken aback by the idea, though more than that he felt a twinge of guilt. He never wanted DG to remember the incident, and would have gladly taken away the memory of it if he could. Particularly now, when they both had better things to think about than the last time her life had been in danger. He sat down next to her, gently wrapping one arm around her and letting her lean against him, her head resting on his shoulder. Having her so close, he could hear the slight wheeze to her breathing; another problem they hadn't had before. After a few minutes, he kissed the top of her head, gently rubbing her side.

"Let's finish drying you off and get you back to bed."

"Can we go for a walk first? I'm not ready to go back to bed yet."

"I don't know if that's the best idea, sweetheart. You're startin' to get sicker, and your body needs to rest. I'll pull a chair over to the window and you can sit there for a while."

DG sighed, and Cain twisted his head so he could kiss her temple. "I know it's not the same, but we'll open up the blinds and let some of the sunlight in. I just think it's best if you take it easy."

The princess nodded. Wyatt kneeled on the ground and steadied her as she turned and set her feet on the tiled floor. He dried off her legs and put her skid-socks back on, then supported her under one arm as she stood. The towel she had wrapped around herself dropped to the floor, and he left it where it was; he'd pick it up later, he didn't want DG to try standing on her own just yet. Stepping back out to their room, he glanced around quickly, spotting one of the large armchairs that inhabited the space already waiting by the window, and he carefully led the girl over and helped her sit down. DG slouched against the low back of the piece of furniture, her head practically rolling forward and her chest heaving as though she had just run for miles. One quaking arm wrapped around herself, her eyes squeezing closed as a pained whimper finally escaped. Cain crouched down in front of her, his hands moving to gently brace her ribcage. "Deege, look at me," he murmured, catching her gaze with his when she was finally able to open her eyes. "You don't have to talk. Is the pain like it was before? Do you feel it all over?"

A silent nod was the only response she could give, and Wyatt carefully rubbed her side. "Alright, I'm going to go call Jenna back in, and we'll get either Doctor Gabriel or your aunt to come in here. Take a minute to catch your breath, but then I'm goin' to move you back to bed." She nodded again, her eyes falling closed again as the faint buzzing noise in her head increased volume into a high-pitched whine, the muscles leading down her spine tightening even as she sat there. Cain's touch disappeared, and she heard his voice talking into the nurse intercom though his words were muddled by the pounding in her skull. Then he was back at her side and carefully lifting her into his arms, an action that had her biting back a cry of pain. Her ribs felt as though they were broken, every inhale was a fight to take and every exhale felt as though that invisible bandage was being wrapped even tighter. "Easy, darlin'." His quiet reassurance made it through as he laid her down in her bed, pulling the blankets over her as his hand found hers. It was more on instinct than on conscious thought that her grip tightened around his as another rasping cough racked her lungs, and she was vaguely aware of him telling her to open her mouth, then the rubber suction bulb they hadn't had to use since their first day here was clearing away the viscous gunk she had coughed up.

Then there was a second voice, followed by a third, and a gentle hand resting on her shoulder as a cold stethoscope was held to her back. She forced her eyes open, tried to hold onto Cain's face as Jenna carefully pulled the tangle of wires connected to her chest up through her collar and reconnected them to their respective machines. A cool wave washed through her as the I.V. drip was hooked back up and turned on, and the throbbing pain calmed enough that her grip was able to relax around Wyatt's hand. He never took his eyes away from hers save for a time or two, when he turned away to answer a question. She thought she saw a flicker of uncertainty cross his face, but he nodded in response to whatever he had been asked, his free hand coming to rest on her forehead before gently stroking her hair. "Get some sleep, Deege."

She wanted to argue, tried to shake her head. "It's alright, darlin'. Let yourself sleep, I'll wake you up."

Her brow furrowed at that, but his words had the same effect on her that they'd had before.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

Wyatt scrubbed a hand across his face, his gaze falling on the tiny digital clock that took up the top-right corner of the heart monitor screen. Eleven forty-three. Despite the few hours earlier that day that had everyone walking on eggshells as the virus had quickly re-established its hold on DG, as the afternoon had worn on and faded into evening and the young princess had slept soundly, the nerves of everyone involved with her care had gradually settled.

Her breathing was still labored, the wheezing more noticeable than it had been that afternoon; a problem whose source had been found after chest x-rays and CT scans, but a problem that could not be solved. The Tin Man traced his fingers over the sleeping woman's forehead, tucking a few longer strands behind her ear and gently adjusting the plastic tube that fed oxygen into her nose. Her temperature had gradually increased over the course of the day, though the feverish dreams that had plagued her before seemed to have completely disappeared.

He hated to wake her up. After she had dozed off while he was talking with Doctor Gabriel, discussing what they needed to do next, she had woken up as they were prepping her for her chest scans and stayed wide awake throughout, trying to keep him within her sight. He had stayed as close-by as he was allowed to be, and her hand had closed around his the first second it could and hadn't let go until she fell back to sleep.

In all, she'd really only slept for six or so hours. She needed more than that, if this wave of the illness was anything like the last. But he had promised her. His fingers went to her wrist, checking her pulse as his thumb brushed over the back of her hand, his other hand resting on the pillow by her head and gently stroking her hair.

"Deege?"

Her brow furrowed slightly at his voice, but beyond that there was no sign that she had heard him. "Sweetheart, can you wake up for me?" There was a slight hitch in her breathing, echoed by the pulse at her wrist and the monitors tracking her heart and lungs; a moment where the beeping wasn't so regular, but then it passed. "Come on Deege, I need you to wake up."

Her eyes squeezed closed more tightly for a moment, and she started to turn her face into the pillow, but the bright blue orbs finally opened, blinking uncertainly and taking a moment to focus on him in the dim room. He smiled, his hand moving so she could hold it. "Hey, darlin'," he murmured.

"Hey," she whispered, her chest straining in the effort to take another breath. "What time is it?"

"About quarter to midnight. You don't have to stay up, go on back to sleep."

She shook her head, an action that almost wasn't there.

"I'm okay."

"Alright," he nodded, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "Can I get you anything?" He glanced at the small table sitting next to her bed. "They brought a tray in for you earlier, must have cast a spell on it or somethin' cause the broth's still warm. Are you hungry?"

"Not really." One arm wrapped around her chest as a cough racked her lungs, her eyes watering in pain.

"Alright, Deege, I know it hurts." He rubbed her arm reassuringly. "You need another booster of your meds?"

She nodded mutely, her shaking hand reaching up to brush the tears away. Cain turned his gaze to the I.V. pump, glancing over it for a moment before spotting the right button. With the new symptoms she was showing and the effect the Codenerol could have on her breathing, DG had been put on a new pain medicine. It wasn't as strong as the other had been, so she was allowed a few boosters every hour along with the continual drip through her I.V. port. She visibly relaxed as the painkiller flowed through her, but her face was still drawn with exhaustion. In the diluted light from the hallway that filtered through the door's plate-glass window, Wyatt could see the glitter of a small tear as it trickled down her face. "Darlin', what is it? What's wrong?"

She blinked rapidly, an almost-fierce set to her jaw, as though she was determined to keep the oncoming tears at bay.

"Tomorrow's the tenth day, isn't it?" she whispered hoarsely, her arm wrapping back around her ribcage as her breathing hitched in her chest. Cain sighed, silently cursing the gods for the hundredth time for putting the young woman through this and berating himself for telling her how the virus worked. She had been nervous about that tenth day ever since, and it had begun to wear on her.

"Yeah, it is," he replied, reaching over to gently rub her back. "How'd you know?"

"You and Aunt Ivy have gotten quieter, and . . ." she was cut off by another rasping cough. "And Raw . . . Raw gets this look in his eyes whenever he sits with me." She took another wheezing breath, shuddering as she fought to keep her emotions at bay, though tears were falling freely onto her pillow. "Wyatt, I'm scared."

Gods, how he wished he could lie to her. He wanted so much to be able to look into her eyes and tell her everything would be fine. But that promise was one that no one could keep.

"I know, sweetheart, I know you're scared. I am too. It's hard not knowing what could happen, it's always harder not knowing," he leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "But you're strong, Deege, you're one of the strongest people I know. I don't know of many slippers who can get thrown into a world completely different from their own and save an entire kingdom in the course of a week."

A wan, watery smile crossed the girl's face. "I had you . . . and Glitch . . . and Raw."

Cain nodded. "Sure you did, but I vaguely remember you telling me that on no uncertain terms did you need my help."

A sound that could have been a chuckle escaped her, though the effort it took to breathe was quickly taking its toll on her already weak body. "Can you imagine how . . . lost I would have been if Glitch and I . . . hadn't found you?"

"You'd still be walking around in circles," he chuckled, allowing himself a grin.

"And you'd still be locked up in that metal box," her tired gaze searched his. "Letting you out of that goofy thing . . . was the best decision I ever made."

Wyatt didn't say anything for a moment, just let himself see her. Her blue eyes had taken on a deeper hue in the dark room, and though they were glassy with unshed tears they were also shining like two perfect sapphires.

"Can I ask you to make another decision for me, Deege?" he finally asked, taking her hand in his as he reached into the pocket of his duster, which he'd tossed over the back of the chair after a trip to town the other day. Her eyebrows knit together, her confusion obvious even over her exhaustion, but she didn't say anything as her hand tightened around Cain's when she saw the small box he took out of his pocket. "I told you before that I knew I loved you the moment I realized that Zero was coming after you, but it all started that day you let me out of that tin suit. You brought me back to life that day, you made me care about something other than my own need for revenge, and even then I knew that as long as I knew you my life would never be the same. I already made a promise to you, Deege; I promised that you would never be alone through this whole ordeal, and that I'd always be here for you. I believe that you are strong enough to get through this, and I'm hoping that once this fight is behind us you'll make me the happiest man on either side of the rainbow and marry me." He carefully opened the hinged box, and the light thrown from the hallway glinted off the simple silver ring and the tiny heart-shaped diamond that adorned it.

No way had he just asked her that. DG's tired mind scrambled to catch up with what had just happened, her gaze flickering between Cain's ice-blue eyes and the perfect, simple ring he was holding. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her, as some cruel side effect of either her illness or the medication she was on. But the longer she stared, the more she convinced herself that it was true, that Wyatt, her best friend and the man that she loved more than anything, wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, that he loved her enough to ask for her hand despite the uncertain future. She finally nodded, still half believing that it couldn't be true, but when the biggest grin she had ever seen nearly split the Tin Man's face in half and he slid the ring over her finger she found that she couldn't help but believe it. She held tight to his hand, not wanting to let go for anything, but when he leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her lips she wrapped her arms around his shoulders before he could pull away, holding on to him in the strongest hug she could muster. He moved to sit on the edge of her bed, helping her as she struggled to sit up and letting her lean against his chest, trying to ignore the slight jump her heart's tempo took at the movement. They sat there for some long minutes, his hand ghosting over her hair as she listened to his heart pulsing next to her ear. When her breathing slowed, however, and she began leaning into him more, his gentle touch became more soothing as he let her drift into a light sleep.

"Lie down and get some sleep, darlin'," he murmured. "I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded slightly, but she held to him tighter for another moment.

"Will you lie down with me?" she whispered, the wheeze in her voice barely noticeable.

"Sure, Deege," he replied, kissing her temple. He helped her lie down, then stood and went around to the other side of the bed. He sat down on his cot for a moment, pulling off his boots and setting them on the floor before climbing onto the bed and lying down next to her, wrapping his arm loosely around her. She turned onto her side so that her back was facing him, her movements sluggish with exhaustion, but she gently tugged on his arm to get him to move closer. He scooted up behind her, and her arm rested on his.

"I love you, Wyatt," she murmured, sighing quietly as she finally drifted into sleep.

"I love you too, darlin'."

* * *

The quick shudder he felt under his arm pulled him out of the fog of sleep, and he propped himself up on his free elbow so he could rub his eyes. The room wasn't any brighter than it had been when DG had fallen asleep, and when he craned his neck up to check the time he wasn't surprised to see that it was barely four in the morning.

He hadn't been sleeping. Not really, anyway, just dozing; he wanted to stay awake in case DG woke up and needed him for something. Her arm tightened over his when it felt like he was moving away, and his gaze fell to the young woman. Her tired eyes were wide, almost in fear, and he wondered how long she had been awake.

"Deege? What's wrong?"

"Bad dream," she whimpered, her breath hitching in her chest, her grip around his arm tightening again.

He leaned over and kissed her temple, his thumb grazing over her wrist.

"It's okay, darlin', it was just a dream," he laid back down, resting his forehead on the back of her head. "You're alright, I'm right here."

She nodded, and the room went silent for several long minutes. He half expected her to fall asleep again, but her constricted breathing never calmed down even as they laid there. When her chest suddenly lurched and she nearly doubled over with another painful bout of coughing, he had to keep from tightening his embrace around her, instead sitting up and gently rubbing her back as tears streamed down her face. "Alright, Deege, cough it up and get it out of your lungs, let's get you another booster."

She managed to shake her head, holding tight to his arm as he moved to get out of bed. Caught between what the princess needed and what she wanted, Cain barely noticed a quick motion out of the corner of his eye until Raw strode around the bed and, taking a quick look at the I.V. pump, hit the button that allowed the healing medicine to flow. "Raw," the Tin Man's voice was urgent as DG began gasping for breath between coughs, and the Viewer quickly grabbed the rubber bulb as Wyatt cradled the young woman's head in his hand, holding her mouth open so Raw could clear out the viscous substance that threatened to choke her. Her throat finally cleared, the empath took her hand as her cough calmed, though her chest strained harder than ever to keep breathing. "You're okay, Deege," Wyatt murmured, exchanging a look with Raw. "Just breathe, you're alright." His free hand ghosted up and down her back, stopping to gently rub the back of her neck, and he glanced back at their friend. He hadn't even noticed when Raw had come back from his usual rounds around the hospital. "Thank you, Raw."

"Cain welcome. Raw stay here for while, DG wants to have friends close-by," the Viewer purred, though there was a troubled look in his dark eyes. Cain nodded, carefully settling down on the bed and holding himself close to DG.

* * *

It was another hour before Raw finally went to bed, but DG was still awake though Wyatt could tell she was struggling to stay that way. Her breathing had finally slowed down enough that he had stopped worrying as much about it, but it was obvious she was still fighting to take each breath. He kept his embrace around her as loose as he could, though she held her arm tightly over his.

"Deege," he murmured, propping himself up on his free arm and planting a kiss on her temple. "You need to try to get to sleep, darlin', it's not good for you to force yourself to stay awake."

"I can't," she whispered.

"Sure you can. I know you're scared, but I'm right here and I won't let anything happen. I'm not going anywhere." He watched as she blinked tiredly, her fingers twining with his, and he sighed quietly. "What can I do to help you sleep, darlin'?"

"Talk to me . . . I want to hear your voice."

"What should I talk about?"

"The story you told me . . . about the horses . . . where did you hear it?"

"That was somethin' my mother used to tell me when I was a boy, and I would tell it to Jeb when he was young. The story's been around for generations," he squeezed her hand comfortingly. "You lookin' for another story?"

"Maybe . . ." her voice trailed off for a moment. "It's silly, though."

"That's alright, there's nothing wrong with wanting to know something, even if it does seem silly."

The girl hesitated for a while longer, her brow creasing slightly as though she was debating saying anything.

"In Central City . . . they like the color green . . . And the emerald is . . . important to them."

"Right."

"I thought that's how it is . . . everywhere in the O.Z. . . . but here they like blue."

A small grin turned up the corner of Cain's mouth, and he chuckled quietly.

"Didn't you know? They changed everything to blue when they heard we were coming. The town matches your eyes this way."

Somewhere DG found the strength to roll her eyes, and the look crossing her face almost made her look healthy. "I'm just kiddin, sweetheart," Cain chuckled again. "But Central City is the only Zone city you've been to until now; they do like their green there, but here in Farthin City they prefer a certain shade of blue. The color of those socks you have is really the closest I've seen to it. There are several cities that are the same way, actually, each one is named after the color of a particular stone and is known for favoring that color."

She frowned as she turned her head and looked up at him, blinking in confusion.

"But, Central City . . . ."

"Was once called The Emerald City, back in the days of Glinda and your ancestor Dorothy. It was never actually green, but it was said to have shined so brightly that to keep from going blind everyone had to wear emerald-colored glasses. It made the city look green."

"How many other cities are there?"

"Nine. Aershron likes purple; Ronlin City likes red, Larentin likes yellow; Degrelle likes black; Shurolle likes yellow-orange; and Wendren, Golslin, Embra, and Vindrell all like different shades of white."

"What's with the weird names?"

"What do you mean?"

"Central City . . . sounds normal. . . . All the other ones sound like . . . a different language."

"The other cities all still have their original names from the times of the Ancients. Central City used to be called Zimtral City, which was the Ancients' word for 'emerald.' That emerald stone was found when they were excavating for the original city walls, so they named the city after the stone."

DG nodded, turning her head back so she could rest more comfortably. "The legend is the same for the other cities, as well; as the foundations for each city were being dug out, a perfect stone is said to have been found in the very location that one of the city's gates would later be built, though the emerald is the only one that's known to exist. Each city was named after the stone that was found there. A prophecy was said to have been revealed when the last city, Larentin, was finished, and the Ancients realized that the gates where the stones were found all pointed toward Central City. The prophecy said that eleven warriors would face off in a battle called The Last of the Ages, each armed with a stone designated for them. The outcome of The Last of the Ages would determine the true destiny of the O.Z., a destiny of either peace and happiness or one of turmoil."

"What were the other stones?"

Wyatt thought for a second. "Besides the emerald, there was lapis lazuli, crystal quartz, opal, amethyst, mother of pearl, ruby, pearl, obsidian, amber, and yellow sapphire."

DG grinned tiredly, her eyes finally starting to close. "Pearl and . . . mother of pearl . . . aren't stones."

"They are in this case. Those two stones were said to mimic the look of pearl and mother of pearl perfectly. No one knew what else to call them."

"You've been hanging around . . . Glitch too much."

"Tutor, actually," he admitted ruefully. "The Pooch likes to go off on tangents during our magic lessons, try to force as much useless knowledge into his teaching as he can."

"Lucky . . . ."her voice trailed off as she finally drifted into sleep, her words slurring together. "I only get . . . court etiquette . . . history lessons . . . . Wyatt?"

The last word was so quiet he almost missed it.

"Yeah?"

"Can we . . . visit . . . other cities sometime?"

"Sure, darlin'. We can go anywhere in the Zone you want," he murmured, kissing her temple as she finally relaxed against him. She sighed quietly as she slipped into a dream, and he simply watched her sleep, only looking up when the door opened slightly and meeting Ivy's gaze. He nodded, planting another kiss on the crown of DG's head before carefully extricating his arm from her grasp. She whimpered quietly at the movement, and he gently rubbed her arm until her brow smoothed out. "It's alright, Deege," he whispered. "I'll just be out in the hallway, I'll be right back."

She murmured incoherently and he slowly stood, quickly pulling on his boots and tying them, and went to meet Ivy at the door. "Ivy," he greeted her quietly, holding back yet another impulse to call her "Your Highness." As different as she might have been from her sister, he still had some difficulty not seeing the queen when he looked at the younger twin.

"Wyatt," she nodded, smiling as she glanced back in at the sleeping princess. Her gaze fell briefly upon the ring DG now wore, and she chuckled. "I suppose congratulations are in order. No doubt the two of you will create quite a stir when you return to Central City."

He shrugged. "Didn't think Deege would appreciate it if I decided to ask her parents for permission first; she didn't grow up believing that she needed approval from anyone but herself. And with how her parents acted, particularly her mother, I don't think she cares what they think."

"You do know that Lavender could dismiss her from court, don't you? DG might not be the heir, but she is still royalty."

"Yeah. She knows it, too," he shrugged again. "But again, she didn't grow up in this world, she lived most of her life on the Otherside and had all the freedoms that any non-royal young woman here would have, and then some." He turned to Ivy. "She's never been happy as a princess. Even before this damn illness got so bad, I could see it. She might not have been happy on the Otherside, either, but at least there she had her freedom."

The doctor stared at him for a moment, a small smile gracing her features.

"You're a good man, Wyatt, DG is lucky to have you."

"I'm just as lucky to have her."

"I can see that," her smile held for another moment before it finally disappeared. "I'm sure you're wondering why I've stopped by. There was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Don't suppose that it's about this, is it?" he asked grimly, pulling the folded poster out of his pocket and handing it to the doctor. She took it, frowning a little, but laughed at the sight of the three pictures.

"I was wondering if this was you or not. I really had no idea."

Cain could feel his eyebrow rising on his forehead.

"Pardon?"

"You haven't looked in a mirror lately, have you? I mean, really looked in a mirror."

"Can't say I have; I haven't really thought about it."

"Well, I'm surprised that my sister didn't realize that this wouldn't work. Hospitals here in the O.Z. are very serious about the anonymity and safety of their patients. Every hospital building in the Zone has shields placed over them, and the second a patient, a patient's guardian, or patient's family member steps onto the grounds the shield works on them. It changes their appearance, but only to those who don't know who they really are, and if anyone except their assigned nurse or doctor reads or hears their name, that person will hear a different name. If you happened to look in a mirror, you'd see what everyone else sees."

He had to take a moment to wrap his brain around that one; he hadn't even known that spells that complex existed.

"So, earlier, when I met the father from down the hall, the one who's here with his daughter, and he told me his name's Asa Mercer, that's not what he was saying?"

"Exactly. And when you introduced yourself, he heard a different name than what you were saying. He also sees someone different from how you look. I know what you three truly look like now, because I've seen this and you've told me that it's you," she folded the poster back up and slipped it into her pocket. "But you are not in danger. Even if the queen's soldiers came here looking for you, which is a possibility, since they have no right to see patient records or privilege to enter any of the rooms they will not be able to find you."

"And this conversation?"

"To anyone walking by, we're talking about something completely different. No one except for Jenna, Doctor Gabriel, and I know your real names, and I'm the only one who knows what you actually look like."

Wyatt could feel himself breathing easier at the idea. He hadn't been thrilled to think that they would have to sneak DG out of the hospital. "So, all that aside, there is something that I need to talk to you about."

"Alright," he agreed, immediately on edge again.

"I need you to follow me, we'll just be down the hall."

Cain hesitated, but finally nodded and followed Ivy down the corridor. "Sarah," the doctor stopped a nursing unit on their way past the nurse's station. "Put up a notice that I'm in Screen Room Two."

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah nodded, and the Tin Man saw her write a note on a board as they turned the corner.

"In here, Wyatt," Ivy motioned him into another room, one about a quarter of the size of the room where they were staying, and she locked the door behind them. "I know you've already seen DG's scans from yesterday afternoon. Since you're acting as her official guardian, the technician and Doctor Gabriel are obligated to show them to you." She went over to a small keypad in the wall, typing in several numbers and patiently waiting until several large envelopes and three small disks popped out of a drawer next to the keypad. "But after I saw them and went over them again with Gabriel, we realized that there's something wrong with DG's diagnosis."

"What?!"

"Not in that way, Wyatt. DG does have Fangpox, and we're going to continue her treatment as planned. But this is what I wanted to show you." She pulled an x-ray out of one of the envelopes and stuck it onto a large screen, flicking a switch so that the screen glowed and they could see the scan better. "This is DG's chest x-ray. The white build-up in the bottom of her lungs is normal for a person with the respiratory virus. This is what causes the most trouble for patients with this form of the virus, because what often happens is that they end up quite literally drowning. No doubt she's been coughing up more just since this x-ray was taken than in the past few days."

"But we know DG has the respiratory virus. She got it while we were travelling through the Papay fields."

"But look at this," Ivy took out two other x-rays, placing one on either side of DG's. "These are x-rays that the patients allowed to be used for research. This one," she pointed to the one on the left, "is one from another patient with the respiratory virus. The other is from a patient with the muscular virus. You can see the striations in the diaphragm, in particular, but to see anything else properly you have to look at the CT scans." She motioned him over to three more screens, then fed the disks into a slot in the wall. Turning the screens on, she pointed out places on each of the three images. "Again, the center one is DG's, and the ones on the sides belong to the same patients as before. On the scan of the patient with the muscular virus, you can see the striations in the muscles surrounding the chest, where the muscle fibers were shortened and tightened. With the patient that has the respiratory virus, the striations are smaller and fewer in number."

Getting a vague idea for what Ivy was saying, Cain's gaze flickered back and forth between DG's scan and the ones next to it, his brown furrowing in realization.

"Deege has them, too, like the patient with the muscular virus," he breathed, his mind racing to comprehend what Ivy was saying.

"When you first arrived here, I assumed that DG had the muscular virus because of the pain she was feeling. The virus is the same regardless of which form a person has, but it attacks in different ways depending on how it was contracted. With the respiratory form, the cough always turns up first, then the muscular pain comes later, though sometimes not until about halfway through the active stage and never as severe as with the other form. With the muscular form, the muscle pain comes first, then the coughing and lung distress come later. But, again, the respiratory problems are never as severe as with the other form."

Wyatt rubbed his forehead, squeezing his eyes closed as he tried to process everything.

"So, every person who gets the virus ends up showing all the symptoms, but depending on what form they have some of the symptoms aren't as severe. The respiratory virus causes more severe coughing and build-up in the lungs, the muscular virus causes more severe muscle pain."

"That's correct."

He leaned back against a counter, everything finally falling into place. When he turned to face Ivy, her face was grim.

"DG has both forms."

"It would appear so, yes."

"But how? The only way to get the muscular virus is to be bitten by a Papay, isn't it?"

"It is, or so we've always thought."

"Deege was never bitten by a Papay, the only person that was anywhere near her who got bitten was . . . ." his voice trailed off as the full realization hit him. "Me. I got bitten, but I never showed any symptoms because I had Fangpox back when I was a kid."

"You still had the virus, Wyatt. It doesn't stay as long in a person who has already had it, but if you contracted it within a week before DG did, it's very possible that she caught it from you," Ivy sighed, slowly starting to turn the screens off and returning the x-rays and disks to their drawer.

"It was a week exactly. The day she let me out of the tin suit was the day I got bitten. Seven days after that, she was locked up and I had to give her CPR when we finally got her out. That would have been three days after she caught the virus in the Papay fields."

"By then, the virus would have already grown accustomed to her, so it wouldn't have needed any more time before it began incubation. Essentially, she contracted both forms of the virus at the same time."

"But it still doesn't make sense to me. I get that I would have had the muscular virus, but she still got it from me when I gave her CPR. Wouldn't that still be the respiratory form?"

"It didn't need to establish itself in her lungs at that point, it already had. The only other place it could go was her muscular system. The fact that it was already in the muscular-form mutation from you made it that much easier."

Wyatt sighed, nodding in understanding. "This doesn't change anything, Wyatt. We're going to continue treatment as we have been, and just focus on keeping her comfortable and help out where she needs us to. We're just going to take it one day at a time."

Cain nodded again, opening his mouth to say something, though whatever he planned to say was immediately forgotten when an alarm sounded off in the nurse's station. They glanced at each other, running out the door to find Jenna rushing past them.

"Jenna!"

"Doctor Ivy, fever-induced code blue in three twenty nine! It's DG!"


	8. Chapter 8: Days Passing

**Disclaimer: they're still not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

"Deege!"

All around her was a flurry of activity, voices talking over each other and the incessant beeping. But it was all echoing, like they were standing in the Great Hall at the palace and no one else was there. Her head throbbed, her eyes fell closed on their own as the room filled with fluorescent white light, her chest tightened as she fought to breathe.

"Temperature's one hundred six point six, pulse is one hundred three."

"Sage, go get a basin of ice and several clean towels. Sarah, we need cold compresses and lots of them, and for Ozma's sake someone go find Doctor Gabriel!"

"He's not on until ten!"

"I don't care if he's on vacation in the bloody Black Mountains, unless he's keeping the queen herself alive I want him in here!"

She forced herself to sit up, ignoring the pain that ricocheted through her with every movement and trying to break free of the hands that restrained her, barely catching herself as her vision darkened around the edges and her body nearly collapsed. She had to get out of here . . . .

"Hold her still, she'll pull her I.V. out!"

"Dammit Furball, let me go! DG!"

"'Carter will be mad'? What is she talking about?"

"She's delirious; her fever's so high that she's hallucinating. Caleb, push five c.c.'s of Pradneral!"

"DG! DG . . . ."

* * *

"_Are you sure you know the way to Central City?" God, she hated how cynical she sounded; it just felt like they had been walking forever. Not that Glitch seemed to notice._

"_The shining city on the hill? Sure! The shining city on the hill? Sure! The shining city on the hill? Sure! The shin-"_

"_You're glitching," DG chuckled_

"_Oh. My noggin wasn't always this way, you know. In my heyday, I was government advisor numero one! I was the top dog's . . . right hand man! It would have all been fine, but her . . . ." his thought seemed to trail away, and DG felt one eyebrow rise on her forehead._

"_But her . . . ."she prompted._

"_But her . . . I would love a fresh ear of corn with some butter right now, wouldn't you – ou?" the strange man's voice caught as he tripped over a fallen log, catching himself before he face-planted and calmly walking away. DG frowned, glancing at the log and then around at the forest._

"_You said you knew the way to the old brick route."_

"_Well of course I do . . . I don't travel with kids. Or convicts." The words were almost growled at her as Cain passed them, heading toward the woods._

"_Um, I'm not a 'kid,'" she pointed out, hurrying to follow, trying not to sound like she was complaining about the much-hated nickname. "And the people who came to your home came to mine. I'm just trying to find my parents."_

"_And I'm just looking for my brain!"_

"_And maybe we could help you find. . ."_

"_What? Maybe we could what?" Cain stopped and glared at them, his stare freezing her in her tracks, her sudden stop causing Glitch to run into her. "Find what? My wife? My boy? They're gone, probably just like your folks are." He turned away, but paused again after a few steps, groaning in irritation. "Look, nothin' personal kid, but look at you. At the first sign of trouble you're just gonna cut and run."_

_DG bristled at his use of the nickname again. 'Okay, you know what? Screw being polite. If he's not going to help us out, we don't need him.'_

"_Nothing personal, but when we found you, you were in a tin box!" she bit back, not really caring anymore whether he helped them or not. "You don't know me! Come on, Glitch, we'll find the way ourselves." She matched Cain's glare with one of her own and stormed past him, chuckling to herself when she caught Glitch's superior nod out of the corner of her eye. _

"_The way?" Cain's voice was incredulous, but otherwise void of emotion. "The way leads through the fields of the Papay."_

"_Papay?" Glitch's voice was farther behind her than it should have been, and she spun around where she had stopped to find him several yards away._

"_What!" she exclaimed, suddenly much more irritated than she should have been. She strode back toward the two men, stumbling through the tall grass. "I've been tossed into a storm, trussed up by lawn gnomes, chased by madmen on horseback, how bad can Papays be?"_

"_I've seen them gnaw people in half inside thirty seconds." Cain sighed, a look crossing his face that said he clearly didn't want to do this. "Zipperhead, keep your mouth shut, kid you . . . you want to come sit by the fire? Warm up?"_

_The strange man barely even acknowledged her question. "Should have left me to die," he murmured, and DG frowned at his unusual accent._

"_Oh great, a basket-case," Glitch sighed, shrugging under his coat. She glanced at him, deciding not to say anything regarding pots or kettles since he probably wouldn't get it anyway, then stood and slowly approached the man sitting at the edge of the clearing. She could tell that he knew she was coming, and tried to ignore the low growl coming from the man's throat as she gingerly reached for his shoulder, but couldn't keep herself from jumping when the growl turned into a snarl and he grabbed her hand._

"_Hold it right there!" Cain yelled, the sound of a cocked pistol reaching her ears, and she held up her free hand._

"_It's okay, we're all friends here." Her voice sounded braver than she felt, even to her own ears, but even that couldn't smother her curiosity of this strange . . . person? . . . she was finally getting a close look at. He had cowed once again at finding himself staring down the barrel of Cain's gun, but had taken her hand in his own. He finally looked up, his dark brown gaze meeting hers._

"_You are sad. Miss your mother, your father. They miss you."_

_She nodded, uncertain of what she should say. "My name's DG, what's yours?"_

_He glanced away, tracing three letters in the ground near his feet with a stick, and she tilted her head to read what he had written._

"'_Raw'?" Glitch's voice had almost a pompous tone to it, though it sounded more like he had never heard the word before. DG turned to him, and his features immediately softened. "Well, it's certainly to the point."_

_DG's gaze fell back to Raw, a bright flash of red suddenly drawing her attention to the top of his scalp._

"_You're injured!"_

"_He's a Viewer," Cain murmured. Confused, she turned to Glitch._

"_Uh, Viewers are like psychics," the tall man explained. "But instead of seeing with their minds, they see with their hearts. Azkadee abducts his kind, has her alchemists suck the second-sight right out of their heads."_

'_Cool.' "He could be a big help."_

"Raw, what's going on?"

"DG sleeping, dreaming. Feels safe, is happy."

"_We are Series Fourteen-Eighty-Seven . . . Nurture Units."_

_Okay, she needed a second to wrap her brain around that one. ". . . Um, 'nurture units'?"_

"_We were programmed with specific protocols to love and protect you like you were our own!"_

"_Okay, that's weird! Um, you're _robots_?" Pacing wasn't helping this situation. "Augh, my life is a lie!"_

"_It wasn't a lie to us! We, we feel like your parents, DG, we love you! But our deeper purpose was to tell you the stories of our world; stories that would prepare you for your return."_

'_Wait a second.' "My return?"_

"_When you started having the dream we knew it was time for you to come back . . . come with us!"_

"_We can't, honey, our place is here. You have to go."_

"_But we are so proud of you."_

"_I love you both!" She wrapped her arms around her parents . . . 'Nurture units, now,' she reminded herself, and let herself be dragged away by the Tin Man. As much as it hurt to know that they had been programmed to love her, that, as much as she didn't want to believe it, they had never cared for her the way real parents would, it made her heart ache to think there was no promise she would ever see them again._

"It's alright, Deege, it's just a dream. You're okay."

"_Heck with that, you know I pick a good story over work any day; though I'd rather hear the big secret about that emerald that the queen whispered into your ear."_

'_Typical dad.' "Aw, Popsicle, I can't remember, it was something . . . hmm."_

"_What 'something,' honey?"_

_She turned to her father, her heart sinking at the sudden realization of what he had just said to her. ". . . .I never said she whispered anything in my ear . . . ."_

_He stared at her for a moment, his face falling as he shook his head and slowly stood. The house, porch, and fields around them vanished, turning into a dark chamber._

"_Sorry, baby girl. I guess I blew it."_

"_That's okay, Popsicle, I know you tried your best." Azkadellia's voice was sugary sweet, but laced with exasperation. DG looked around, trying to wrap her brain around what had just happened._

"_That was all fake? You are _twisted_!"_

_Her sister finally graced her with a stare, a single dark eyebrow rising on her forehead. "Why, because with a little rewiring I've gotten something I've missed out on for too long? A father's love, a mother's affection . . . a secret whisper to a little girl!" Az's voice echoed around them as she paced angrily._

"_Lylo can't find!" the old Viewer whimpered, his hand gripping DG's wrist in pain._

"_Focus!"_

"_Something protecting her memories."_

"_Break through! _Now_!"_

"_Lylo's trying!"_

"_Don't try, do!"_

"_How can he remember if I can't?" DG could not keep the fear out of her voice, but she wished that she could grasp Lylo's hand to let him know that she was there. Her head hurt, as though something other than Lylo's gift were trying to pry into it._

"_What did mother whisper into DG's ear about the emerald?"_

"_Emerald only thing that can stop Azkadellia," Lylo finally gasped out._

"_Focus, Lylo, where is it?"_

"_All is grey! Emerald . . . within . . . the Grey Gale!"_

"_Grey Gale. What is the Grey Gale?"_

"_Don't know, can't see!"_

"_Where is it?"_

"_Hurts to reach into her memories. Memories surrounded by . . . magic!"_

'_No! NO!' "Lylo?!"_

_The Viewer stared blankly ahead for a brief moment before he slumped over in his chair, his eyes glazed over as though he were dead._

"_Magic," Azkadellia sighed, pinning DG with a glare." I don't have to guess . . . have a theory that can't be unproven."_

_She turned and stared out of her cell, not quite understanding what she had heard until she saw the man's face staring back._

"_Mystic Man? You're alive!"_

"_It is called the 'Or not theory.'"_

"_Oh, I have so much to tell you."_

"_Ah ah ah ah ah, you know they wouldn't put you in a cell next to mine unless they wanted to hear us talk."_

'_Whoa.' "She . . . she's listening?"_

"_First, you must journey to the north . . . or not."_

'_Okay . . . .' "Yes, I journeyed to the north. I went to the Ice Palace and I know who my mother is. Are you sure you're not still on the vapors?" 'What the hell are we doing?"_

"_I have never been clearer in my whole life. It's all coming back to me; my troubled childhood, a rich life of scholarly pursuit, my brief but glamorous life in show business, although that part is a little bit hazy . . . ." His voice trailed off as their cells shook and a deep rumbling filled the space. "Did you hear . . . you on the vapors or off."_

"_Your sister is more powerful than you."_

"_She will never be as powerful as me."_

_The Mystic Man leaned toward Az, his dark eyes shrewd as he stared her down. "Then why are you so scared? I know you, witch!"_

"_What do you know?" She stared back for a moment, raising her hand alongside the old man's face, forcing his mouth open. DG didn't understand what was happening for a moment, but then she noticed the faint white mist that was floating between them. She flew at the bars of her cell, knowing that it was all pointless._

"_No, stop that!"_

"_Unlock your memories . . .you saw the Mystic Man?"_

_She sighed, nodding as she turned to Cain. "He's dead. She killed him."_

"Raw, is she okay?"

"Sad, remembering times that made her sad. Heart breaking to remember."

"I've never seen someone cry in their sleep."

"_I don't like the looks of this place. You three wait outside, I'll cut the deal myself."_

"_No, I think we should . . . . We had a deal!"_

"_DG!"_

_The Seeker lunged at her as several other men went after her friends, lifting her over his shoulder._

"_No! Put me down!" She beat at him with her fists as he carried her away, Cain's voice growing fainter behind them_

"_DG! DG! . . . . DG, you're everything I hoped you'd be, I am so proud of you."_

"_I'm so proud of you, my little girl," Az's voice dripped with sarcasm, and they found themselves suddenly surrounded by Longcoats. "You're everything I hoped you'd be. Daddy, you old romantic." With a wave of her hand the witch sent Ahamo flying away from the balloon._

"_No!"_

_Before her eyes, her father shrank to the size of a mouse, then flew into Az's hand. She stared at him, a sickly-sweet tone to her voice._

"_Daddy, I've missed you so much." With a clap he disappeared, and DG had to keep herself from running at the woman who claimed to be her sister._

"_What did you do to him?"_

"_He's quite comfortable. Now, you have something for me. Want to share your shiny new trinket with your big sister?"_

"_No, you're not my sister. . . . not your color!" Finally finding her courage, she lunged for the emerald, practically falling over when her chest tightened with a wave of her sister's hand._

"_I thought you were dead, little sister; buried in the ground all these years."_

"_You're a nut!" she managed to gasp out, her throat finally opening_

"_No, it's where you belong. You'd look good in marble. Green marble."_

"She's not breathing!"

"_Dammit, she's gone blue! . . . DG, breathe, dammit, breathe! . . . Come on, Deege, breathe!"_

"_Cain."_

"_Shut up or get out of here, Dog-breath! . . . Raw?"_

"_Raw sorry. Raw cannot heal the dead."_

"_Come on, DG, breathe!"_

"We need more ice, and somebody get me a size four intubation kit! Bringing her temp down won't do any damn good if she can't breathe!"

"_She was almost right."_

"_Who?"_

"_The witch. When she captured me at the Northern Island, she said something to me, later. She said . . . ."_

"_Deege, it's alright, it's just us here. Tell me, it will help if you do."_

"_She said . . .she said that, the next time she snuffed out my life that there wouldn't be anyone standing by to help me. And she was almost right, Wyatt!"_

"_It's alright, sweetheart, what's important is that she wasn't right. I was right there for you, and I always will be right there, standing by."_

"_How can you say that? How can you honestly say that and believe it?"_

"_Call it a hunch."_

"Deege? I'm not sure if you can hear me, but if you can I hope you know that I love you and I'm right here. I'm not goin' anywhere darlin'. Come back to me soon."

"_Darlin', I'm not saying it because I think there won't be another chance to. I'm saying it because it's true, and it's something that you need to know and hold on to. Whatever happens with this illness, whatever the outcome is, this isn't going to change. I realized I loved you the instant I found out that Zero was coming after you in Central City. My heart was frozen with hate and the need for revenge until I realized that you were in danger. When we found you in that crypt my heart broke when I thought that we were too late, and it started beating again the second you took that first breath. My heart's breaking right now, Deege, because I know how scared you are about this and there's nothing I can do except stay here by your side. I don't know any more than anyone else as to where this might go. I only know that, no matter where this leads, it's not going to change how much I love you."_

"_I love you too, Wyatt. I knew it when I found out that you'd been shot by Zero, but until I saw you again in the tower I thought it was too late. I was able to beat the witch because of the strength I got from you; if I had lost you at any point I don't think I would have been able to keep going."_

"_So you're saying that we both owe a big thank you to Zero the next time we see him?"_

"Her temperature is still falling, and most of her reflexes are back to normal. As much as it shocks me to say this, she may still pull through."

"_I told you before that I knew I loved you the moment I realized that Zero was coming after you, but it all started that day you let me out of that tin suit. You brought me back to life that day, you made me care about something other than my own need for revenge, and even then I knew that as long as I knew you my life would never be the same. I already made a promise to you, Deege; I promised that you would never be alone through this whole ordeal, and that I'd always be here for you. I believe that you are strong enough to get through this, and I'm hoping that once this fight is behind us you'll make me the happiest man on either side of the rainbow and marry me."_

"She's triggering the ventilator on her own. If she keeps improving, we should be able to take her off the machine this evening."

"_It's alright, darlin'. Let yourself sleep, I'll wake you up."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Promise."_

"Cain need to sleep, not helping DG by making self tired. Raw stay up, keep watch, wake Tin Man if DG wakes up."

"Do you think she's okay, Furball?"

"Raw think so. DG just sleeping, body still needs rest. She knows Cain is waiting, will find her way back."

"_I love you, Wyatt."_

"_I love you too, darlin'."_


	9. Chapter 9: Night

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, author alerted and story alerted! I hit a bit of a speed bump while writing this chapter, and, unfortunately, it's fairly short. But I know exactly where the next chapters are going, so hopefully they'll be up soon! I'm trying to develop the character of Ivy a little bit, which is essentially turning her into the mini-series incarnation of Lavender. Let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it from somewhere else, it doesn't belong to me. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

Ch 9: Night

A steady, electronic beeping trickled into her awareness, its tempo matching the throbbing pulse that coursed through her body. Soft footsteps circled around her, a stiff band tightened around her upper arm and something was held to her forehead for a moment before disappearing again. She winced quietly, trying to move and relieve the uncomfortable pressure on her arm.

"DG?"

Her eyelids felt like sandpaper, but she couldn't reach up to rub the grit from her eyes; her arms, her entire body, felt too heavy. The mattress shifted slightly, water dripped nearby and a cool cloth was held to her face, gently wiping over her eyes. Somewhere she found the strength to turn away, but a moment later a stinging wave ripped down her spine and she felt every muscle in her body tighten, a strangled whimper pulling itself from her throat even though her chest constricted painfully. She suddenly felt as though she was spinning, her stomach giving a sudden lurch, and the back of her throat burned as heaviness rose in her chest. The voice spoke again, and strong arms turned her onto her side seconds before she was sick, her lungs fighting to breathe over the sour taste flowing through her mouth. Stars flashed behind her eyelids as every nerve ending in her body caught fire, her body curling up on its own as her hands gripped the sheets. A gentle hand was brushing her hair back from her face, the voice was murmuring softly though she couldn't make out what it was saying, and someone was suctioning the bitter residue from her mouth. She was dimly aware of something being injected into her I.V., but it didn't have the same effect that it normally did. The pain lessened enough that the nausea disappeared and some of the tightness in her chest was relieved, but she still felt on edge and her body buzzed uncomfortably. The cold cloth came again, resting on her forehead, and a hand carefully closed around hers. It wasn't Cain's, and she couldn't place how she knew it but it was familiar. "DG, dear, can you open your eyes?"

Ivy watched as her niece struggled to follow her directions, a quick tremor passing through the girl's body as the medicine coursing through her veins slowly began to work. DG's eyes finally opened, bright and unfocused in the moonlit room, her eyelids heavy and threatening to fall closed again. She blinked drowsily, her brow furrowing, and she slowly tilted her head toward Ivy. The older woman moved to the chair beside DG's bed, not wanting to aggravate the girl's pain any more than needed. There was no comprehension on the young woman's face, no flicker of recognition as she studied the doctor sitting next to her, and for a long moment Ivy feared the virus had caused more damage than they had originally thought.

"Aunt Ivy?" she finally whispered, her voice hoarse, a faint wheeze to her ragged breathing. "Where's Wyatt?"

"He's sleeping, dear. We've been taking turns staying up with you, so you wouldn't be alone when you woke up."

DG's gaze moved slowly around the room, taking in the second I.V. that went into her right hand, following Jenna as she rounded the corner from the bathroom while drying a plastic basin with a paper towel.

"What happened?"

Ivy regarded her niece for a moment, unsure of what she should say, or how to say it. She sighed, her thumb brushing over the girl's knuckles.

"The virus became much stronger than we expected. We think it reacted to the change in your medication."

"You think?"

"I'm sorry, dear, we really don't know. No one's ever had the virus for this long; we don't know how it acts or what to do after the tenth day."

DG turned her face into her pillow, a tear trickling down her cheek and her breath hitching in her chest as her grip tightened minutely on the edge of the sheets. She blinked determinedly, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"How bad was it?"

Ivy sighed again, "You really shouldn't worry yourself about it, dear, it matters more that you were able to get past it."

"_Don't_ tell me to _not_ worry," the young woman ground out, her voice rising in pitch and wavering as what small amount of energy she had waned, her eyes squeezing shut with the effort it took just to talk. "I am _not_ five years old. I _want_ to know what's been going on, I feel like I've been cut out of everything and I'm scared that there's something everyone's keeping from me . . ." her voice finally broke and her arm wrapped around her chest as she fought to catch her breath.

Ivy glanced at the heart monitor as its steady tempo increased slightly, telling her that DG's panic was more than wearing her out.

"DG, you have to calm down. I know it's difficult, and it's perfectly alright if you're frightened, but you have to try and keep yourself calm; otherwise you could get worse again." She stroked the girl's hair soothingly. "We don't mean to scare you by not telling you things, we just worry that you would get worse if you knew. You're a very strong-willed young woman. You always have been, even when you were just a baby, and right now you have to be brave. You have just barely a week until you're through this, and then you never have to worry about it again."

DG convulsed with a silent sob as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm scared." The words were barely a whisper.

"I know you are, dear, and it's alright that you are." She waited patiently as DG's breathing evened out, the tempo of her heart rate slowing and the tears gradually stopping. She took the cloth from the young woman's forehead and wiped it over DG's face before dropping it in the basin of water. "Do you still want me to tell you anything?"

DG looked up at her aunt for a long moment, finally shaking her head.

"No."

"Do you need me to get anything for you? I can wake Wyatt up, if you like. He'll want to know that you're alright."

DG blinked uncertainly, shaking her head again.

"No. Let him sleep. He's been up with me ever since I got sick. He needs his rest, too."

"Very well," Ivy nodded.

"Can I go back to sleep?"

"If you want to. Don't you worry, dear, someone will be here when you wake up."


	10. Chapter 10: Day 14, Night 14

**AN: Yay! Another new chapter! Thanks to everyone who added/alerted the story, and those who added me to their author alert! I think there were a few of you who reviewed the last chapter, so thanks to you guys, too! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tin Man, and this story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

"Take a deep breath . . . hold it." The mechanical voice echoed around the concrete and tile room, and Cain watched carefully as DG struggled to follow its directions, a small tear trickling from the corner of her eye and her hands clenching into fists. "You can breathe." He glanced across the room to watch the technician at work at a computer screen in the small area off the main chamber, Ivy and Doctor Gabriel hovering at his shoulder, their eyes glued to the images that flickered across the monitor. Ivy met his gaze through the plate-glass window, shaking her head slightly before returning to her conversation with the other doctor.

"You can relax your arms, DG," the technician spoke to her through a microphone. "A nurse will be there in a moment to push the contrast, then we'll take a few more scans."

Cain stepped forward as DG was slowly slid out from the machine, carefully helping her lower her arms from where they had been resting over her head. His fingers lingered on her wrist for a minute, and he frowned to find her pulse fluttering erratically.

"You're alright, sweetheart," he murmured, stroking her hair. "You're not closed in here. You have plenty of room." Her nightmares had returned that morning, forcing her out of sleep drenched in a cold sweat and gasping for breath. He had barely been able to make out anything that she said as she huddled in his arms, her need for air fighting with the tears streaming down her face. The only words he'd been able to decipher were "coffin" and "Grey Gale." "Deege, look at me," he ordered gently. Her eyes had gone distant, claustrophobia kicking in as she'd been put into the confining CT machine; she wasn't even in the same room as he was. "DG."

His firm voice finally had her vacant stare focusing on him, and he gently brushed a tear from her face. "You're alright, Deege."

"Wyatt," she whispered, her body shaking as she fought to breathe.

"I'm right here, darlin'. What do you need?"

* * *

Ivy tuned out the voices of the two bickering men standing beside her, her gaze moving from the computer monitor to the two figures in the next room. Wyatt had leaned down closer to DG, their hands locked in a death grip as he tried to calm her. She was saying something, and a look of shock and confusion flickered across the Tin Man's face before it melted into one of sadness, exhaustion, and resignation. He replied to her, nodding slightly, and even as the doctor watched he lulled the young woman into a troubled sleep.

"How can you even think of trying it? With the way she is now, it could kill her!"

"There's also the chance that it will work fine! "

"It's an experimental treatment, even when it's used according to protocol! The data on its effectiveness is incomplete at best!"

"Anything we try at this point is experimental! The girl has survived a Fangpox active stage that is almost fifty percent longer than anyone ever has! There is no protocol, no treatment prescribed for a person older than ten annuals old!"

"You would still need to have Mr. Cain's permission before you tried anything, Gabriel," Ivy sighed, rejoining the conversation. "And chances are my niece would want to know everything as well. What you are suggesting holds a much greater risk for DG than it would for any other patient, not only because you're recommending we use a cancer treatment drug under conditions that many physicians would not even consider but also because DG's mental and physical states have drastically deteriorated since we put her in the coma." Dark green eyes fell upon the other doctor. "Do not be so keen to read about yourself in the medical journals that you are willing to put a young woman's life in even more danger than it already is in the hopes that you'll make a brilliant discovery that will change the history of medicine. She is my niece, not a science experiment. I do not recommend that you bring this course of treatment up with either Wyatt or DG unless you truly believe that it could help her."

Gabriel seemed to wilt under Ivy's gaze, but he nodded, a glimmer of defiance crossing his features. In the other room, a nursing unit was carefully pushing the dose of contrast into DG's I.V. port. "Let's get these scans finished," Ivy decided. "DG needs to be back in her room so that she can rest."

* * *

"Then explain it to me so that I do understand. Don't throw all this medical nonsense at me and then treat me like a headcase when I don't catch everything you say."

Wyatt's voice was angry, though it was only because she knew him so well that she even recognized this as anger and not irritation. Even in her drug-induced haze she knew that there was something bothering him. His hand suddenly wrapped around hers, his thumb brushing her knuckles, and she heard his voice in the back of her mind, softer this time, telling her that he'd tell her what was going on later, and that she'd be better off trying to get more sleep while the painkillers were still working. Her nerves were still buzzing, her skin hot and prickly, and she complained faintly; whatever they had her on, it didn't work as well as the other medicine did. She felt his magic pulse into her, calming the uncomfortable feeling as he told her that he'd explain later, that it was the best they could do for now.

* * *

Cain felt DG drift back into sleep, and he shifted slightly where he was sitting on the edge of her bed to hide their glowing hands from Dr. Gabriel. Not that the man would have noticed, even in the dark room; the self-important doctor was completely immersed in explaining his plans for DG's treatment. Wyatt cast an appraising eye at the doctor, wondering not for the first time just how much they could trust him.

"The medicine we would put her on is a cancer treatment drug. Chemotherapy treatment is used on the idea that a disease can be treated by making the host environment, the patient, uninhabitable. Many people don't like to consider it, because it is, quite literally, poisoning a person, but it's had great success with many other diseases besides cancer."

"Is Fangpox one of them?" he pinned the doctor with a stare, only somewhat satisfied when the man paused.

"No. As of right now, we're not sure what treatment plan to follow for DG. No one in this hospital's history, or any other, has ever survived this long. Simply treating the pain as it arises is no longer working, the virus seems to be growing accustomed to any medication that we keep her on for any length of time. I believe that going after the virus itself in an attempt to weaken it is the best course to take."

"So what would you end up giving her?"

"We would put her on a combination treatment that would both weaken the virus and strengthen the cells in her immune system that would fight it off. The goal here is to lower the viral load, or the amount of the virus that's currently active. We would continue to treat the pain as we currently are."

Wyatt's gaze fell past Doctor Gabriel's shoulder to where Ivy was standing, arms crossed, by the door. He could tell by the look on her face that she was less than pleased with the idea of the treatment. Not that he would have agreed to it without consulting her first, but seeing how she felt about it already was definitely raising the red flags. The Tin Man frowned slightly, his icy glare returning to the man standing in front of him.

"How soon would you recommend we start this treatment?"

"As soon as possible."

"Can you see any major problems if we wait a day or two? I need to think about this, and I want to talk to DG about it as well."

"No," the doctor said hesitantly. "But . . ."

"Look, doc, I don't want to agree to anything without discussing it with DG first."

"You don't have to, Mister Cain. You are her guardian, which means that you can make this decision without her."

"But I'm not going to. I may be her guardian, but she is my wife, and my partner, and we talk things over before we make a decision. If the situation arose where she wasn't able to give her input, then I would just have to think about it longer than I normally would. But she can, and since what you're suggesting directly affects her I'm going to talk to her about it." His icy gaze pinned the doctor, squelching any argument the other man might have been readying himself for. "You're going to have to give me at least a day or two. I'm not going to wake her up when sleep is the best thing for her right now."

Doctor Gabriel frowned, but nodded, then turned and left the room. Wyatt sighed, reaching up and rubbing his hand across his forehead.

"I'm afraid you've made him very unhappy, Wyatt," Ivy chuckled humorlessly, her arms falling to her sides as she crossed the room and sat down in the chair next to DG's bed.

"Unless it causes his plans to make trouble for us, the fact that he's angry really isn't my problem. I'm looking out for DG, and as long as I'm here with her she's not in any danger."

"Gabriel can be quite single-minded when it comes to anything that might bring him attention, even to the point of being narcissistic. He has his mind set on trying this new treatment on DG."

"You don't agree with him." It was more a statement than a question.

"If there was more data on how the medication works when it's used according to protocol, I might. But no research has been done on it as anything except a cancer treatment, and only a handful of doctors in the zone have even considered its use as anything else." She turned to gaze at DG for a long moment. "I admit I'm probably much more wary of his suggestion because DG is my niece, but I doubt I would agree with him with any patient."

"What do you suggest?"

Ivy sighed, her emerald-colored eyes trailing away from her niece to stare out the window.

"I don't know. You already know that DG has survived this disease longer than anyone ever has. We don't know how it will progress from here, or if it will react with any other medications we may put her on. I'm not sure that Doctor Gabriel's idea is any better or any worse than trying something different." She glanced at the Tin Man. "I'm sorry, Wyatt, I wish I could tell you what you want to hear, or that we're doing anything but grasping at straws. But I'm not sure anyone would be able to."

Cain shook his head, his thumb brushing absentmindedly over DG's knuckles. The girl's brow furrowed slightly, her breath hitching in her chest, but just as quickly she drifted back into sleep.

"You know what she asked me today? When she was having her scans done?"

Ivy frowned, confusion flickering across her face. Cain sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly, "She asked me to take her home."

"To Central City?"

"No, to the Otherside. She asked me to take her back home to the farm she grew up on." He turned and met Ivy's gaze. "I told her I would try."

The woman nodded thoughtfully.

"It would certainly be possible. Fangpox isn't especially contagious between humans, so I'm not concerned about it causing an epidemic on the Otherside. I'd be able to help you with the travel storm, and you'd be able to use my home as a safe house before you leave and when you come back. Still," her frowned deepened. "I want to keep her here as long as possible. The longer she stays here, the greater the chance she'll get better."

"I'm hoping we won't have to leave until she's better."

"I agree."

"No, Ivy, you don't get it." He looked at DG's aunt, and the thought crossed Ivy's mind that she had never seen such a look of exhaustion and sorrow as the one that had creased the Tin Man's face. "She asked me to take her home because she doesn't want to die here."

Ivy felt as though her heart was sinking, realizing that her niece was giving up.

"She told you this?"

"Not in so many words," Cain sighed, reaching up with his free hand and tapping his own temple. "I could see it, though." His tired gaze fell back to the still figure of his fiancée. "Ivy, I'm asking you to help me do this for her. If we reach a point where you feel like she might not . . ." his voice broke, and the doctor could see the shimmer of tears in his crystal-blue eyes.

"I promise I'll let you know," Ivy slowly stood, resting a hand on Cain's shoulder. "But for now, she is doing as well as she could be. Just take it one day at a time, Wyatt; you being here gives her strength to keep going." She paused for a moment, glancing at her niece before continuing. "I'm going to put in a request to the hospital director that I take over DG's care. I'm working in the E.R. tonight, have one of the nurses come get me if you need to."

Wyatt gave a perfunctory nod, and the doctor stayed for another moment before turning and leaving, closing the door quietly behind her.

* * *

It was a moment before Cain realized that DG had woken up again, though he was glad to note that it was because she wasn't pulled from her healing sleep as violently as she had been before.

He hadn't been able to sleep, so while Raw kept watch for a few minutes he had gone to the hospital library, hoping to find a book to read. Now, the Viewer was dozing soundly in his cot across the room and Wyatt was partway through a novel whose plot he couldn't even remember. The heart monitor's tempo increased briefly, followed by the sound of DG's breath catching in her throat and a quiet sniffle. Cain turned away from his book, his gaze trailing over the young woman, a small frown crossing his face. Her back was to him, so he couldn't be sure she was awake, but he put his book down and went to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Deege?"

She twitched slightly as his hand brushed down her arm, and when he leaned over he could see her eyes were open, though they were tired and puffy as if she'd been crying. He carefully twined his fingers with hers, his other hand going to rub her between the shoulders. "Are you hurtin' again, darlin'?"

"It's not as bad as it has been."

Wyatt nodded, realizing that the virus had settled again for the calm before the storm. The last wave of the illness would not be an easy one.

"How long have you been up?" he asked quietly.

The girl shrugged, the movement so slight it almost wasn't there, "A few minutes. I didn't think you were awake." She brought a shaking hand to her face, rubbing at the tears that trickled from her eyes. "Could you lie down with me?"

"Sure, sweetheart, just give me a sec, okay?"

She nodded silently, releasing her hold on his hand, and he quickly pulled off his boots before lying down behind her. His arm wrapped around her waist, and hers rested over his as he tucked the crown of her head under his chin. He could feel her shuddering as she fought to keep the tears away, and he carefully pulled himself closer to her. "Shhhh, darlin', it's alright."

"I'm scared, Wyatt."

"I know Deege, I know. But you only have to hang in there for a few more days."

"I can't," she whimpered, her eyes squeezing shut as she turned her face into the pillow. "Wyatt, I want to go home."

"Can you tell me why, Deege?"

"I don't want to be here, I want to be in a place I know. I don't even care if I have to be in a hospital, I just want to go back to Kansas." Her voice was a hoarse whisper now as she fought against the tears. Cain sighed and closed his eyes, sending a silent pulse of light to Ivy, asking her to do what she could so that he could take DG to the Otherside. A few minutes later, he felt her reply, a flicker of unfamiliar white magic telling him she would do what she could that night and talk to him in the morning.

With the plans already underway and the future even more uncertain than it had been a mere hour before, Wyatt simply held DG close as she cried, waiting for the suns to come up and bring them one day closer to a vague and potentially heartbreaking fate.

* * *

**Leave me one, you know you want to! Reviews are fuel for the muses!**


	11. Chapter 11: Night 15

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it from somewhere else, it's not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

**So, yeah, nice long chapter for you this time, because I wedged a LOT in here. Some of you will probably hate me at the end, but that's all part of being an author, of course. You'll see that I've created another OC in this chapter, and she's based on Zooey Deschanel's sister Emily (I was going to call her Emily, actually, but then I remembered that DG's nurture unit's name is Emily). Zooey made an appearance on "Bones" (another of my favorite fandoms) so I thought, to be fair, that Emily would get an appearance on Tin Man. Enjoy, and remember to leave me one when you're done! I love hearing what you all think!**

* * *

"Come on Deege, I need you to try to eat something before we leave," Wyatt murmured, gently brushing DG's bangs away from her eyes.

"I don't know if I can, Wyatt," she whispered.

"I need you to try darlin', we don't know how long it will be before we can get your I.V. hooked up again and you need to get some good fluids in you."

DG's hand tightened on the edge of the sheets, her eyes falling shut as she half-buried her face in her pillow. Cain sighed; over the course of the day, they had weaned DG off the pain meds, ready to boost the dosage should the virus suddenly take hold again. Just an hour ago the monitors had been unplugged, her I.V.'s flushed out and the steady stream of fluids unhooked, leaving only the port in either hand. Raw was already down in the stables, getting the horses ready, and now they were just waiting for Ivy's shift to end.

The wheels for their trip to the Otherside had been set in motion faster than Cain could have imagined. Ivy, though working a double shift in the emergency room since the night before, had managed to stop by their room during a brief break to let them know the farmhouse that was their destination would be ready by the following morning, gently calming DG when the girl frantically tried to figure out how it could be ready when the last travel storm had nearly ripped it to shreds. When the doctor got off work, they would travel with her back to her home for the night and slip over in the morning.

Wyatt was not looking forward to tonight, knowing it would be the most dangerous part of their journey, not just for DG but for all of them. They'd lose the protective cover the hospital had provided them, their false identities gone the second they left the grounds. For DG, being away from the hospital when she was most vulnerable, and when a deadly strike by the virus was all but inevitable, meant that she would not be able to get the care she'd need to possibly save her life. But he had promised her, and even with their lives on the line he could not break that promise.

He glanced at the clock for what seemed the thousandth time that evening, his hand absentmindedly rubbing over DG's arm. He could feel the tremors passing through her frail body even through the heavy sweater she was wearing. It was the unmistakable sign of the final throes of a Fangpox infection; the uncontrollable shivering and chills, followed closely by a last wave of fever and pain far surpassing those that had preceded it. They had to get DG to the Otherside before she became worse, otherwise she might not even be strong enough to survive the travel storm.

Wyatt turned around as the door opened, nodding slightly at Ivy as she entered. She was dressed for the ride back to her home, her white lab coat replaced with a long gray duster that completely covered her blue scrubs.

"Are you just about ready to go? DG is signed out and all her records have been sealed, once we leave the grounds not even Doctor Gabriel will be able to see them again."

"Yeah, Raw already brought our things down. I just need to get her into her cloak and we'll be all set."

"I can help her Wyatt. You go ahead and put on your own."

The Tin Man paused, but nodded again and handed DG's cloak to Ivy, watching carefully as the older woman helped her niece sit up and carefully steadied her as she wrapped the cloak around the girl's shoulders and fastened it under her chin. He stepped forward once he had his own cloak on, gently taking DG into his arms and letting her settle into his embrace before following Ivy out into the corridor.

They didn't speak to each other on the way down to the hospital's main floor, though Wyatt knew that it was better if they didn't. DG technically wasn't a patient there anymore, and the protective spells were already wearing off. There was no telling what someone might overhear them saying. A cool breeze fluttered by them as they stepped outside, and he instinctively held DG closer. After spending so much time inside he had forgotten that autumn was just around the corner.

Raw was waiting just outside the hospital's stables, holding the halter ropes of not two white horses but three, and Wyatt came close to freezing in his tracks. Ivy glanced at him, a small grin crossing her face.

"I see that Nosk and Slone have already discussed you with Elix. They were herd-mates as foals, and in fact Slone came from the same dam as Elix. No doubt they've been catching up with each other since you arrived here. My other one, Fayn, will be pleased to see them again, too."

Just as he was beginning to wonder how they'd tell the three Equus apart, one of the creatures edged away from the other two, tugging gently on its rope as it headed toward Ivy, and Raw released it so it could go to Ivy. _Easy enough._

"Slone?"

One of the other two gently tugged away from Raw, and the Viewer took DG from Cain's arms so the Tin Man could climb onto the horse's back. Handing her back to Wyatt, Raw finally climbed onto Nosk, and with a silent nod they turned away from the hospital, the mounts of the Tin Man and Viewer following dutifully behind Ivy.

* * *

Ivy's house, Cain was glad to see, was not within the city walls. She had led them out the east gate and onto a well-worn dirt road. Passing mile markers and the falling remnants of old houses, they had finally come to a wide brook surrounded by a dense copse of trees. The horses' hooves echoed across the water as they crossed a wooden footbridge, another path leading them to a large log cabin tucked among the trees. Dimmed lanterns flickered in the otherwise dark windows, bringing a soft glow to the evening forest. Elix paced around the back of the house, where they came upon a small stable, and the lead horse whickered softly. An answer came from within the outbuilding, causing Nosk and Slone to reply as their ears perked up at the sound.

"It's a gathering of old friends," Ivy chuckled, though it was a sad sound, only meant to try to lighten the quiet mood. "It's been years since they last saw each other."

Wyatt frowned as Raw dismounted and came to help him with DG, his eyes scanning the trees for any sign that they weren't alone. "You don't need to worry Wyatt, the house and land are surrounded by a shield spell that covers the entire glen leading to the road and a full five hundred feet in every other direction from the house. If someone else was here, I would know. And the horses would warn us if they heard someone coming."

The Tin Man nodded, carefully taking DG back into his arms. She had drifted into an uneasy slumber shortly after they left the hospital, and he wanted to get her inside before the cool night air made her shivering worse.

"Raw take care of horses," the Viewer murmured, glancing at him and then at Ivy. "Cain and Ivy take care of DG. Raw be in soon."

"Thanks, Furball," Wyatt sighed, and followed Ivy as she led him around the side of the stable toward the back door of the house. Stopping in a small mud room to pull off cloaks, coats, and shoes, the doctor motioned him through the kitchen and down a hallway, where she pushed open another door, this one leading to a bedroom.

"You can stay in here tonight, it's the only bedroom with a fireplace and I want to keep DG as warm as possible."

Wyatt found it mildly ironic that they were trying to keep the young woman warm when in another day or so he would likely be struggling to bring her temperature down. With a wave of her hand, Ivy had a fire lit on the hearth and was soon rummaging in the closet. She emerged another moment later with two heavy quilts in her arms, but when Cain tried to lay DG down on the bed the young woman clung to him, her need to keep him nearby present even in sleep. Ivy smiled, carefully draping one of the quilts over her niece and conjuring up a rocking chair for Wyatt to sit in. "We'll let her sleep a while longer while I go fix supper, but she'll need to eat something soon. For now, relax and stay with her. I'll need to talk to you tonight, though, about tomorrow."

The Tin Man nodded, settling into the chair and holding DG close as she slept.

* * *

"Deege?"

The warm, solid weight under her shifted slightly, a large hand gently prying her fingers away from the fabric they clung to. She could feel the heat surrounding her in a tight cocoon, but she still felt as though she'd been dunked in a tub of ice water; the chills went straight to her bones. "Darlin', can you wake up for me?"

Her eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the flickering light and the unfamiliar room. She felt like she had been sleeping for days, but she couldn't blink the grogginess away. Cain's hand found its way to her wrist, his fingers resting there for a few moments as he took her pulse, his other going to rub her back. "Come on, Deege," he murmured, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "We need to get something warm in you; your body's acting as though you have hypothermia, that's why you're feeling drowsy." He tilted his head slightly to look into her eyes, his clear gaze worried, and reached over to the small bedside table.

"I'm not hungry, Wyatt," she whined faintly, her voice a pained whisper; Cain realized that she was struggling to breathe again. "I just want to sleep."

"I know, and you can go back to sleep in a little while. We need to try to get some food in you while the virus is quiet."

DG sighed, snuggling closer to Wyatt, but didn't fight when he held a warm mug of what smelled like broth to her lips. She managed a few swallows before she had to turn away, her stomach fighting the feel of food after not eating in close to a week. "Good girl," Cain murmured, gently stroking her hair and letting her tuck her head under his chin, holding her tighter to try and calm her shivering. "Raw's goin' to come in here in a little bit, he's gonna sit with you while I go talk to your aunt about tomorrow."

"'Kay."

Wyatt craned his neck back just enough to see DG's eyes were already beginning to close, and he gently kissed her temple. "Let's get you in bed, darlin', I'll lay down with you until Raw gets here."

She nodded, and he slowly stood from the rocking chair. Pulling the quilt and sheets back from the bed, he carefully set her down and lied down next to her, holding her close and trying to keep her as warm as possible. The room was silent then for a long while, DG drifting in and out of a troubled sleep and Wyatt keeping her nestled against his chest as her tremors continued uncontrollably.

The bedroom door slowly opened, and he let his head roll back as Raw peered around the corner.

"Ivy in kitchen, says supper almost done, knows you waiting to talk about tomorrow. Raw wait in here with DG, help to sleep," he slowly came into the room, carrying what looked like four pillow cases slung over his shoulders and weighed down with something Cain couldn't outright identify.

"Whatcha got there, Furball?"

"Sand from riverbed, dried and warmed over fire. Used by members of Raw's pride to help those who are sick and need to keep warm." The Viewer set the cloth bags down. "Thought would help DG."

Wyatt regarded the empath for a moment. He had known that Raw was exceptionally gifted as a healer; the most that anyone ever really knew about the Viewers is that each possesses one particular, strong gift. He had never considered that Raw's ability, or any Viewer's, to heal and calm pain would extend to things beyond the magic of their gift. When the healer did not move for a moment, Cain nodded slightly, figuring that's what Raw had been waiting for. Raw quickly picked up one of the cloth bags and carried it over to the bed as Cain sat up, handing it to the Tin Man. "Put against DG's chest, here," he motioned to the space on himself. "Wrap her arms around it, let her hold tight."

DG shuddered as Wyatt pulled the blanket back, but her embrace instinctively tightened around the cloth bag when he placed it against her chest. Raw handed him the other three, one at a time, telling him where to put them. "Back of neck . . . lower back . . . bottoms of feet," then waited patiently as the Tin Man covered DG with the blanket.

"I'll be right back, darlin'," Wyatt murmured, brushing the girl's hair from her face. "Raw's here if you need anything."

DG's eyes flickered open for a brief moment, then fell closed again as she mumbled incoherently and pulled the blanket closer. Cain hesitated, not wanting to leave her, remembering what had happened the last time he had. Raw rested a hand on his shoulder.

"DG be okay, Cain not be far away. Raw call if need to."

Wyatt nodded, and slowly turned and left the room.

* * *

Ivy was just closing the oven as Cain entered the kitchen, and she glanced up before moving toward the sink.

"Wyatt, how is DG doing?"

"She's sleeping again, but I was able to get some broth in her," the Tin Man replied, moving to join the doctor at the sink and picking up a towel to help dry the dishes.

"That's good. It's important that she rest, she'll be playing a big role in getting the three of you to the Otherside tomorrow."

Cain paused, one eyebrow rising on his forehead. He wasn't sure which part of Ivy's statement surprised him more: the mention of DG's role in helping them slip over or the fact that Raw would be coming with them. He decided to go with the lesser of two evils.

"Raw's coming with us?"

"Yes, he agrees that it would be the best. A lone Viewer without even an adopted Pride draws too much attention. Even travelling back to his Pride's land on his own could be dangerous for him. Besides, I think DG would appreciate having both of you nearby." She sighed, "I'm hoping to have the three of you slip over tomorrow morning, around daybreak if possible. When the sorceress was in control, she kept tight reins on the use of travel storms. Since she was defeated, however, spontaneous storms have been starting up again, though they're still rare. The earlier you're able to slip over, the less attention the storm will draw. It's still the season for tornadoes on the Otherside, as well, so no one will think about one touching down in the town where you're going."

"Where are we going, exactly?"

"The farmhouse where DG grew up, in a place called Kansas. Ahamo says that he's been in contact with others who have slipped over to the same town, and that they've been working to rebuild the farmhouse after it was destroyed in the storm that brought DG here. There are three of them, sent over near the same time that DG was, to help her nurture units as she grew older."

"You've been in touch with Ahamo?" Cain wasn't as surprised at this fact as he would have thought.

"Yes. He has channels of communication that even my sister cannot access, so we knew that information I sent him would not be found."

"What will we need to do tomorrow?"

"Not as much as you think. Come this way," she motioned for him to follow her. "It's just a matter of staying together through the storm. What concerns me is that, without a destination, a travel storm can be quite unpredictable."

"But we know where we're going."

"Only DG knows exactly where that place is, though. It's incredibly difficult to direct a travel storm to a location that you've never been to. That's why it's important that she be awake and lucid when you slip over tomorrow, because unless she's able to clearly picture where the storm needs to go you could very well end up back here."

"There's no other way?"

"Unfortunately, no. Normally I would ask Raw to try and find at least an image of the farmhouse in DG's thoughts, but I don't know if she would be able to handle it." They had come to the large living room, and Ivy was working to pull a loose stone from the wall. "Thankfully, the travel storm itself is not a problem." Finally working the stone free, she reached into the hole it left behind and pulled out a small wooden box. Looking closely, Cain realized it was shaking slightly, as though something inside it was running around in circles. Ivy slowly opened the box, and when Wyatt saw that it was filled with what looked like large gray marbles he thought there was a mistake. "Take one, but hold it carefully and don't drop it."

He did so, and had to force himself to hold onto it when it vibrated slightly in his hand and he felt the unmistakable flow of magic emanating from the small object. "This is a travel storm, Wyatt. All you need to do is throw it at the ground and the storm will build up around you. I'll send you to the Otherside with at least two more, in case you need the extra one."

The lights suddenly flickered, and even as Wyatt was looking around in confusion Ivy was plucking the storm-marble from his hand and quickly putting the box back in the wall. Fitting the stone back in place, Ivy waved her hand and Wyatt felt magic wash over him before she moved to the window that faced the path from the road. "Follow the story I tell, Wyatt, don't ask questions."

Cain was immediately on edge as Ivy pulled the curtain back from the window, peering out into the darkness for a few long minutes before she visibly relaxed. "It's alright, it's just my daughter. She's home from work earlier than she usually is."

"DG never told me she had a cousin."

"She wouldn't have, she probably doesn't even remember. Felicity knows about DG, of course, but you have to remember that the last time I even saw DG was when she was a toddler." Another wave of her hand and Cain felt the magic disappear. "She'll be surprised to see you all here, she has no idea that DG is the patient I've been taking care of these past few weeks." She turned away from the window and headed back toward the kitchen.

"Where does she work?" Wyatt asked, following close behind.

"The library in the next town over," she replied, opening cupboards and drawers to take out place settings for the table. "Will you be eating out here with us, or in your room so you can stay with DG?"

"I'll eat out here, I just want to check on Deege again."

Ivy nodded, pulling out another place setting.

"Mother?" The door in the mudroom opened and closed. "Where did those two other horses come from?"

The Tin Man and doctor turned as a young woman entered the kitchen, and Wyatt's first thought was that she could easily pass for DG's sister. She was taller, so he figured that she was older, and she had lighter hair than DG did but she had a similar quality to her voice as well as the same blue eyes as the young princess. She seemed just as surprised to see him, her hand suddenly going to her dress pocket to pull out one of the bright red flyers he had come to hate so much. "Mother, why is he here?"

"Lissy, you're home early. Come and sit down, and I'll explain."

The girl's eyes didn't leave him as she sat down in one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table, but she listened carefully as Ivy did her best to explain.

"This is Wyatt Cain, dear, he's DG's fiancé."

"DG's here?" a bright smile suddenly crossed the young woman's face. "Where is she?" She started to stand up, wanting to see her cousin again.

"She's sleeping, Lissy. Please, sit down."

Felicity's smile faltered, but she did as her mother asked. "DG is very sick, my dear. She's been at the hospital in Farthin for the past two weeks."

"She must be getting better, then, right? You wouldn't let her leave the hospital if she wasn't getting better."

"No, dear, she has Fangpox. She still has another five days before she'll be safe."

"But, that's impossible! She was already five years old before her mother sent her over! She must have had it before then!"

"She didn't, and since they don't have Fangpox on the Otherside she didn't catch it until she came back," Ivy sighed. "Things do not look promising. She's having a hard time fighting the virus off, more so than most people do. She's asked Wyatt to take her back home, to the Otherside."

"And you're letting her go? Are you out of your mind?"

"Don't speak to me that way, Felicity Ann. You may be an adult, but I am still your mother, and I would appreciate being respected in my own house."

The younger woman sighed, but she nodded.

"Sorry, mother. You know we were close, or at least as close as we could have been at only two and five, and even when we haven't seen each other in more than eighteen years I still see her as my cousin and my friend."

Ivy laughed, shaking her head.

"You say that as though I could have forgotten. You two were closer than sisters. Her smile would, quite literally, light up the room when she saw you. No one else, even Azkadellia, was able to get that reaction from her. If I remember correctly, there were times when you would make her laugh and we'd have to change half of the palace's light bulbs because they had blown out."

The bright smile crossed Felicity's face again, her laugh echoing her mother's, though the room eventually quieted down as the gravity of the princess's situation settled again.

"I guess I'm just mad that the first time I get to see her since we were children is just before I might never see her again."

"And you have every right to be," Ivy reached across the table and took her daughter's hand. "You two were very close as children, eighteen years cannot change that."

"Can I see her?"

To Cain's surprise, Ivy turned to him at Felicity's question. He nodded, slowly standing from his chair.

"I need to check on her anyway."

Ivy nodded, standing up as well.

"Supper will be ready soon, I'll come get you when it is."

* * *

"Raw?" Cain poked his head through the door, searching the dim room for the Viewer. Raw was standing by the fireplace, feeding more logs to the dancing flames.

"Cain," the empath greeted him quietly. "DG sleeping still, but sleep comes and goes."

"We still have time, then," Wyatt murmured, making a beeline for the bed. "As long as the virus stays quiet she's okay." He sat down next to DG, his hand brushing over her forehead. Her shivering had calmed slightly, but there was no telling how long that would last. "But we might not be able to wait until morning to slip over. If she goes too far in either direction she won't be in any condition to travel, least of all by storm."

DG shuddered slightly in her sleep, her breath catching in her throat and suddenly turning into a rasping cough that shook her entire body. Cain cursed under his breath, gently holding her still so she couldn't roll forward and rubbing her back. "It's alright darlin', take a deep breath and try to calm down." The girl's eyes slowly opened, her pupils dilated and shining oddly in the firelight though Cain could still see the pain in her glassy stare. "You're okay, Deege."

"Wyatt." She was barely able to gasp out his name as she fought to breathe. "I'm so cold."

"I know, darlin', we're trying everything we can to keep you warm."

"Raw go get more sand," the Viewer murmured, dodging out the door.

"I don't understand, she doesn't feel cold," Wyatt sighed, gently feeling her forehead and cheeks, his hand grazing over her arm before tucking the blanket around her more tightly. "If it was actually hypothermia her skin would be cold."

"It's not really hypothermia. If she had a high fever for a long time, her body has become used to trying to keep itself at a safe temperature. Now that the virus is quiet, her body has to get back to regulating itself at a higher temperature, not a lower one. It's what makes the last wave of the illness so dangerous, this sudden change of temperature makes it hard for the body to keep up."

The Tin Man pinned DG's cousin with a stare, one eyebrow rising slowly on his forehead. "My mother is one of the best doctors on this side of the zone, Mister Cain. Combine that with how much I read and I do have a fair bit of medical knowledge of my own." She shifted nervously where she stood. "May I try something? I have an idea that might help."

Wyatt nodded, going to stand up but stopped when DG's hand suddenly reached out to grab his, her bright eyes silently begging him to stay.

"It's alright, Deege," he murmured, running his thumb over her knuckles and motioning to Felicity to come closer. "Look, you know her, you have known her since you were very young. It's just been a long time since you saw her."

The young woman stared at her cousin for a long time, her brow furrowing tiredly.

"Felicity?"

Cain's eyebrows shot up his forehead at DG's quiet question. Judging by the look on Felicity's face, she was just as surprised that DG remembered her. But she nodded, slowly coming forward.

"Give me your hand, Deege," she said quietly. "It's alright."

DG blinked uncertainly, but she took her cousin's hand, each young woman holding to the other like a lifeline. There was a long moment where nothing seemed to happen, causing Wyatt to wonder what Felicity had in mind. But when their hands suddenly started to glow, the light taking on a deep golden color, and DG stopped shivering for the first time all day the realization finally dawned on him. He waited until DG drifted into sleep and the soft glow disappeared before he said anything.

"You're a mage." It wasn't a question.

"I'm of the Gale line, Mister Cain," Felicity sighed. "The family's magic is always passed down from mother to child." She carefully tucked the blanket around DG before standing and following him from the room.

"Shouldn't it be white, then?"

"My mother's not the heir to the throne. Only the heir and her daughters have the white magic. If the heir has a son, his magic will always be colored, and it will be a specialized magic. The daughters of the non-heir are the same way, and sons of the non-heir have a chance of not having magic at all. My brother isn't a mage."

"What kind are you?"

"Fire," Ivy replied as they entered the kitchen. "Felicity's a fire mage, and a very gifted one." She smiled, the pride evident in her voice. "Raw went outside, do I need to call him back in?"

"Yeah, DG's better for now," Felicity nodded. "I'll go get him." She smiled briefly before disappearing into the mudroom.

Cain sank slowly into one of the chairs, resting his elbows on his knees and scrubbing his hands across his face.

"Just when I feel like things are finally starting to make sense."

Ivy grinned slightly at the Tin Man's muttered words as she brought a steaming pot to the table.

"Magic works in mysterious ways, Wyatt. Even those of us who have been graced since birth don't always understand all the countless intricacies of it."

"Do you think her gift is keeping her alive?"

The doctor paused at his question, but shook her head and sighed.

"I don't know. As little as we know about how viruses like Fangpox work after a certain time, we know even less about how gifts interact with illnesses. Many in the medical field don't even like to treat mages because it involves considering the type of gift and any additional gifts the mage may have. In some cases even aura color needs to be taken into account."

"Aura color?"

"An aura is the color light a mage gives off when they use their magic. The heir and her daughters are always white, as Felicity said, and you saw that she is gold. You're green, and every other mage in the zone is some color or another."

Cain let that idea roll around in his head for a moment, trying to ignore the twinge his gift gave at the idea. He opened his mouth to say something, but the door from the yard opened and shut, and the nagging tickle of his thoughts disappeared again. "Don't worry about it for now, Wyatt. DG is safe, you and Raw are both safe, and I am more than thankful for that."

* * *

"Royal Guard, open up!"

The angry voice paired with the sound of a fist pounding heavily on the door pulled DG from sleep. Panic rose in her chest when she realized the room was dark, but the strong arms that were wrapped around her shifted slightly and something warm was held to the back of her neck.

"Shhh, it's alright, darlin'," Wyatt whispered, though even in her half-asleep state she could hear the nervous edge in his voice. "Take some deep breaths and calm down, Ivy's takin' care of it."

The young woman held herself as close to her fiancé as she could, letting her eyes fall closed as his hand came up to stroke her hair. Cain gently kissed her forehead then rested his chin on the crown of her head, humming softly.

Ivy's footsteps came slowly down the hall, belying how nervous she must have been, and DG's hand closed on Wyatt's shirt as she fought to stop shaking.

"Gentlemen, surely there could be a better time for you to drop by than the middle of the night," Ivy's voice echoed from the front hallway, and Wyatt vaguely wondered how the guards could miss the uncanny resemblance to the queen's voice.

"Apologies, ma'am, but by Royal Order every home in the Outer Zone is to be searched for three missing persons."

"I can tell you right now that there is no one here except myself, my two children, and my son's wife. Please, this is a very difficult time for us, and I ask that you leave us in peace."

"We will be unobtrusive as possible, ma'am, but it is a Royal Decree. We are required to search every house."

"Very well," Ivy sighed. "I just ask that you complete your search as quickly as possible and then leave."

Wyatt's brow furrowed slightly at Ivy's words, but felt himself relax slightly when a wave of magic washed over them. If she was using her magic to protect them, surely she must have a plan. He heard several pairs of feet enter the living room, at least four if he figured correctly, and held DG close as two of the guards started down the hallway.

"Mother? What's going on?" Felicity's voice came from her bedroom, groggy with sleep.

"It's nothing, Lissy. They're searching for some people who are missing. Excuse me!" Ivy suddenly exclaimed as one of the soldiers stopped outside their room. "Please, my son and his wife are in there. If nothing else, please leave them alone."

"Is there a reason why, ma'am?"

"Their son was born too early, and we were unable to do anything to help. They've asked for some time alone, and I ask that you grant them that time. They need to be able to mourn their loss."

There was a hesitation, as though the man standing out in the hallway was considering Ivy's plea, but there was a heavy sigh from the other side of the door.

"I'm sorry."

"Then let me go in first. Alexander would not react well to a strange person bursting into their room at three in the morning."

Cain's embrace tightened around DG as he heard Ivy approaching, but he glanced down when he felt the girl shudder; there were tears trickling down DG's cheeks, and he carefully brushed them away.

"It's okay, Deege," he whispered. "I won't let anything happen to you. Stay close."

She looked up at him, nodding slightly before burying her eyes against his chest. A moment later the door slowly opened and Ivy peered in.

"Alexander?"

"Mother?" he blinked against the light coming from the hallway, playing along with the doctor's charade. "What is it?"

"There are men here, soldiers from the Royal Guard. They've been ordered to search every house."

"Why?"

"They say they're looking for someone. I asked them to leave you alone, but they have their orders."

"Fine," he growled, turning back to DG and holding her close. "Let them search and be done with it."

Ivy sighed, though whether it was part of their trick or if she was feeling as upset as she sounded Wyatt didn't know.

"Very well. Gentlemen, please perform your search as you need to. You'll find that there is no one there."

Cain struggled to keep his eyes down as two soldiers entered the room, their shadows momentarily filling the doorway. One made his way to the closet, opening it and pounding on the walls on a search for a trick panel or hidden room. The other came to the bed, glancing under it briefly before standing upright and holding his lantern over them, his eyes glaring at them critically. When Wyatt risked a glance up at the soldier, the young man's eyes flickered with pity for a moment.

"My sincerest condolences and apologies," he murmured, nodding his head before turning back to the door. "They're not here, let's go."

The footsteps trailed back through the house and the front door closed. Horses whinnied and snorted outside, their hoofbeats echoing away across the clearing, and Cain released a breath he felt like he had been holding for hours. It was several long minutes before the magic that had filled the air dissipated. Wyatt let his eyes fall closed as he rested his cheek against the top of DG's head, letting his hands gently rub up and down her back. His brow furrowed slightly, his eyes opening again as the door to their room opened.

"I'm afraid that those soldiers being here has slimmed your chances for slipping over tomorrow," Ivy murmured as she came in and sat down in the rocking chair. "They won't be very far away by dawn, your travel storm may attract more attention than we want it to."

The Tin Man didn't reply right away, and the doctor frowned, turning to him and catching the look on his face. "Wyatt, what is it?"

"We have to leave tonight." Wyatt's voice was strangled. "Deege, look at me." He gently lifted DG's chin until he could see her face, and when Ivy stood she could see that her niece's eyes were bright and glassy. "She's not shivering anymore." His hand brushed over the girl's forehead. "And her temperature's gone up. We need to get her to the Otherside."

Ivy nodded, backing up toward the door.

"Get her ready, we'll leave as soon as we can."

* * *

"Since I don't know which direction the soldiers came from, I'm not sure which field would be the best choice," Ivy murmured as they left the safety of the glen. "We're just going to get as far from all houses and buildings as possible. Felicity and I will take the horses and move away from your slipping-point before you set off the storm." She gazed around them as they moved through the overgrown field, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. They had left the lanterns at the house, not wanting to give their movement away to anyone who might see them, and in the silvery moonlight the land surrounding them was dull and shadowed.

Cain glanced around as well, his senses on high alert. But the fields were quiet, the nearest man-made lights flickering near the horizon several miles away. DG huddled in his arms, drifting in and out of sleep, her breathing ragged.

"How will we know if it works?"

"You'll end up in the place that DG pulls you to. Lissy and I will wait until the storm ends before we return home, in case it doesn't work. If you end up here, we'll have to move quickly to get you back to the safety of the house before the storm draws more attention."

The four horses crested a hill and Ivy pulled Elix to a stop. Wyatt turned around on Slone, searching the lower grounds for any signs of life. "You'll slip over from here. Felicity, take Nosk, and I'll take Slone. Wyatt, listen carefully, for it's very important that you three stay together through the storm. Should one of you be separated from the others there's no telling where you'll end up. Make sure that you have a firm grasp on each other and that DG has a clear image of where you're going before you drop the storm. Felicity and I will wait back in the direction that we came from."

Raw slipped his pack over his head before coming around to help Cain with DG, holding the young woman as the Tin Man dismounted and shouldered the other two packs.

"Raw, hold on to her, I need to be able to see her."

The Viewer nodded nervously, his own gaze flickering around at the tall grass that surrounded them. Ivy and Felicity each took the halter rope of one of the other horses, kicking their own mounts and heading back in the direction they had come from. Cain and Raw watched as the small herd and the two riders galloped away, finally coming to a stop a safe distance away, and Wyatt leaned over so he could look DG in the eye.

"Deege, look at me," his thumb grazed over her cheek as her eyes slowly opened. "I need you to concentrate. I know it's hard, but I need you to think about where we're going. Can you do that for me?"

The girl's forehead creased as she tried to understand what he was asking of her, her bright eyes staring at him blankly. "Sweetheart, can you think about Kansas? Can you picture your home in Kansas?"

DG squeezed her eyes closed, pulling her cloak tighter around her.

"I'm tired, Wyatt," she murmured, as though she hadn't even heard him.

"I know, darlin', I just need you to do this for me and then you can go right back to sleep. I need you to think about where you want to go. Picture your house for me, can you do that?" The Tin Man scrambled to think about how he could get her to do what she needed to. He suddenly glanced up at Raw, brown eyes meeting blue, and he wondered if the same idea had hit them at the same time. "Deege, look at me. Tell me about your house in Kansas, tell me about where you grew up."

His gentle orders finally seemed to make sense to the young woman. Her glassy eyes held his, and even as her arm wrapped around her chest and pain flickered across her face she began to talk.

"It's a farmhouse . . . a fence goes around the yard and all the fields . . . in the back there's a swing . . . there are four fields where Popsicle always planted our crops . . . I used to run away and hide in the north field . . . ."

"Good, Deege. Can you picture that field for me? Can you see the place where you used to hide?"

Realization suddenly dawned in DG's gaze, and she squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. Sharing a glance with Raw, Cain took one of the travel storms from the pocket of his duster and, grasping his friend's arm with the strongest grip he could, threw the glassy marble at the ground. The wind immediately picked up, kicking up dirt from the ground and forming a dark wall around the three travelers. "Hold on to her," Cain yelled out even as the fierce storm threatened to break his grip on the Viewer. Not wanting to be pulled away from the others, he grasped Raw's shoulder with his other hand. "Deege, you concentrate, you hear me?" He closed his eyes against an onslaught of dust as he felt his feet leave the ground, the wind coming at them from all directions before, suddenly, they were back on the ground and the storm was gone.

Shaking his head quickly and blinking to clear his vision, Cain glanced around, trying to get a bearing on where they were.

"Cain." Raw's voice was urgent, a tinge of fear to his normally calm growl, and Wyatt turned to the Viewer before his gaze fell to DG. Sweat beaded the girl's forehead, her face tight and her eyes squeezed closed as she fought to breathe.

"Dammit," his hand flew to her face. "She's burning up. The travel storm drained her." His thumb grazed over her forehead, his other hand going to grasp hers as he stood upright, searching frantically for some sign that they had made it. "Raw, where are we?"


	12. Chapter 12: Night 15, Day 16

**AN: So, yeah, I was flipping through some internet medical mumbo jumbo and I found out that the closest Otherside equivalent to how I've portrayed Fangpox is SARS. This is fun. Thanks to everyone who story/author alerted, added the story as a favorite, and reviewed!**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it from somewhere else, it's not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

"Raw not sure," the Viewer growled, his dark eyes searching the fields surrounding them.

Cain's mind finally cleared enough for him to notice that they were no longer standing on top of a hill and, glancing up to try and orient himself, he realized that none of the stars were ones that he recognized.

"We're not in the O.Z. anymore. But are we where we need to be?"

"House, over there," Raw murmured, pointing toward a farmhouse that stood at the edge of the field. "Lights are on, see movement. Looks like people."

"Do you think that's the right house? Can you sense anyone?"

The empath closed his eyes, scowling slightly.

"Sense someone, but not feel like human. Feel like tik-toks."

"Tik-toks? You mean like DG's nurture units?"

"Like nurture units, but different. Like Jenna, other tik-toks in Milltown."

"I don't think they have those on the Otherside, it's gotta be the right house." He carefully lifted DG out of Raw's arms. "Deege, come on, stay with me darlin'."

The girl mumbled incoherently, her hand closing around Wyatt's coat as he and the Viewer charged toward the house. As they got closer, he could see the shadows of the inhabitants through the windows. A curtain moved, a surprised face appeared momentarily behind the glass before disappearing again, and four people suddenly ran out to the porch that wound around the front of the house. "Hang on, Raw," Cain muttered, drawing to a halt. "Let them make the first move. If they don't prove that they're who we're lookin' for we can still go back."

"Wyatt Cain?" a voice echoed across the dark field, paired with a bright beam of light that Cain was certain didn't come from a lantern. "Are you Wyatt Cain of the O.Z.?"

"And if I am? Who are you?"

"Former residents of Milltown, sent over the same annual that Princess DG slipped over with her nurture units."

"And why are we here?"

"You are bringing the Princess DG back to her childhood home. She asked to come back for the remainder of her illness."

"Who told you we were coming?"

"Prince Consort Ahamo of the O.Z; his sister-in-law, Ivy, formerly of the House of Gale, requested that we have the house ready for your arrival."

Wyatt and Raw glanced at each other, and the Tin Man nodded before continuing toward the house. Raw paused for a moment before following, and Cain turned to him.

"Somethin' wrong, Furball?"

"Language formal, not sound like DG or nurture units."

"It's alright, it's something that started up just before the sorceress took over. If they've been here for fifteen annuals they probably don't know any other way to greet an unfamiliar person. Remember when we found Ralph and Lorraine's house on our way to Finaqua? Their way of speaking was much more formal right when we met them than it was when we left their house. Once we know these three, they'll probably go back to how they usually act around here." He nodded at the house. "Come on, we have to get her inside."

They strode toward the farmhouse as quickly as they could without jostling the young woman cradled in Cain's arms. The bright beam of light disappeared as they approached, replaced by the gentle glow of the house lights. Wyatt paused at the bottom of the porch steps, his ice-blue gaze staring guardedly at the four people staring back . One of them, a male android with dark features and the bearing of a soldier that the Tin Man picked up on immediately, stepped forward. The man's eyes took them in, glancing at each of the travelers in turn before gazing out at the surrounding fields.

"Come in," he finally motioned to the front door, nodding at the other units to follow.

* * *

"Thank you," Cain murmured as the female tik-tok, Joanna, handed him a steaming mug of tea. Holding the cup in one hand, he rubbed his eyes tiredly before leaning back in his chair, turning slightly to watch DG as she slept. He felt more exhausted than he had in what seemed a lifetime, his emotions volleying for dominance with the overload of information he had learned in the mere two hours since they had slipped over. His gaze flickered around the small living room, staring at each of the house's inhabitants for a few moments before moving on, finally coming back to rest on the young woman beside him.

He had originally wanted to use one of the bedrooms, but with a closer proximity to the kitchen as well as the front door they had ended up converting the small den into a makeshift hospital room for their stay. Arianna, a young woman just a few years older than DG who was the princess's childhood friend, was the adopted daughter of Joanna; the two of them had slipped over shortly after DG had, and Joanna ran a small store in town that was a favorite haunt of the local high school and college students. Arianna was a physician's assistant at a hospital in the nearby city, a coincidence so appropriate that the Tin Man would have been suspicious if the story behind it didn't make so much sense. He huffed in mild amusement as he shook his head: typical that DG would get into so much trouble even as a child that her best friend would gain an affinity for healing just from all the times the princess needed to be patched up. Arianna, who had apparently been working at the hospital for quite some time and had a fair bit of influence, had been able to talk the hospital's board of directors into allowing her to treat DG at home. This idea sat just fine with Wyatt; he knew that it would be nearly impossible to try to explain where they had come from or what this disease was that DG had. And yet, even that had been figured out for them. According to Arianna, the symptoms for Fangpox as well as the virus's makeup were remarkably similar to another virus on this side of the rainbow, so they would treat it the same. Unfortunately, it was an illness that was just as uncertain as Fangpox, with no guaranteed cure; but with the virus growing stronger and the time to give DG a foothold against it running out Wyatt was willing to try anything that might help.

In his vest pocket were an Otherside driver's license and gun license, and somewhere in a place called "the internet" was his new identity as an Otherside police officer, both courtesy of the guard unit named Elmer Gulch. He had been a prototype unit, sent over from the O.Z. with Joanna and the third android, Jake Carter, at the suggestion of Ahamo in order to keep an eye on DG as she grew older and moved away from the careful watch of her nurture units.

Cain rubbed his eyes again, taking a long sip of his tea and trying to blink away the pull of sleep. Across the room, the three robots were talking quietly. Arianna had shown both Raw and himself how to change the bags of fluids on DG's and add the pain and antiviral medications, but had needed to leave again for her shift. It was the one problem Wyatt had with not being in a hospital; not having a doctor or nurse right there should something go wrong. But the tik-toks had worked out a schedule so that one of them would always be there in case something happened. Gulch nodded as he spoke to Carter and Joanna, and when the other two left he strode into the living room and sank into an armchair of his own. Raw, crouched in a corner near the window, watched the guard unit silently, his dark gaze flickering between the police officer and the Tin Man.

"I haven't had the chance to tell you, yet," Gulch began quietly, causing one eyebrow to rise on Cain's forehead. "I'm sorry that you have to go through this. I admit, there were times when DG irritated the hell out of me, and we've never exactly gotten along with each other. But I never would have wished this on her, or on anybody."

Wyatt nodded, sighing silently.

"With any luck she'll be back to driving us both crazy soon." He cast a sideways glance at the cop. "You don't have to stay up, you know. You can go to bed, or go recharge, or whatever it is you robots do."

Gulch chuckled wryly.

"We're solar powered, just like the units back in the O.Z. We don't need to recharge electrically unless we've gone for over a week without sunlight."

Cain's eyebrows shot up his forehead.

"Can that happen around here?"

"Sometimes, but it's rare. We can have some pretty extreme thunderstorms, but they don't last that long very often." He slowly stood, the joints in his knees popping mechanically, and Cain wondered if the guard unit might need a tune-up. "I'll be out on the porch. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

"I will." He watched as the android turned out into the hall, and when the front door closed quietly a few seconds later he sighed. His gaze returned to the young woman sleeping on the couch beside him, his hand going to her wrist to feel her pulse beating rapidly under his fingertips. He knew it wasn't really necessary for him to check her heart rate this way; the I.V. pole, oxygen tank and small portable heart monitor Arianna had brought from the hospital were constant reminders of everything they were still doing to help DG pull through these last few days. But he found that it comforted him. Feeling her heart beat felt more real to him than hearing the mechanical beeping of the heart monitor, and being able to touch her reminded him that she was still there.

Raw shifted quietly in the corner, finally standing up and relocating to the floor near DG's feet, leaning back against the couch. Cain, though not an empath like the Viewer, could feel his gift reacting to Raw's emotions. "You alright, Furball?"

"Raw fine. Just want to be near DG. She know we're here, feels safe to know. Raw want DG to feel safe."

Wyatt grinned slightly, though the smile disappeared again as DG shifted uncomfortably in her sleep, and his thumb gently brushed over the back of her hand. Her entire body was practically radiating heat, the cool cloths they had laid over her forehead and arms doing little to bring her temperature down. She had drifted in and out of consciousness several times since they had arrived, though the pain medication they had her on kept her in an incoherent haze. He knew she wouldn't want it that way, remembering how she had fought to stay awake and hadn't wanted to be sedated when they were at the hospital; but right now all he could think about was keeping her comfortable. DG's tiny frame shuddered, her breath rattling in her chest as tears trickled from her eyes.

"Shhhh, darlin', it's alright," Cain leaned over, resting his forehead against hers as he gently stroked her hair, his other hand twining fingers with hers. He stayed like that for several long minutes, trying to comfort the young woman through her feverish nightmares, but she was inconsolable. The small monitor sitting nearby began to beep uncontrollably, a bright light on the screen flashing red as her panic sent her heart into overdrive. "Dammit," he muttered, moving to sit on the edge of the couch, gently framing her face and holding her hand against his chest so she could feel his heart beating. "Deege, wake up." DG fought against his hold, her face crumpling into a mask of pain as she whimpered loudly.

"Needs more pain medication," Raw growled, his voice edged with fear.

"We can't, it hasn't been long enough. We give her too much and it can affect her breathing even more than the virus does." Cain glanced up at the Viewer before focusing back on the young woman. "Deege, come on darlin', I need you to wake up." He brushed a tear from her cheek, holding her as tightly as he dared as she struggled against him. Her chest heaved, her breath coming in short panicked gasps though her hand tightened around Cain's, and the Tin Man leaned over and gently cradled her head against his chest. She only fought harder at the sudden confinement, but he slowly pulled her into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her, carefully untangling the tubes and wires before letting her lean into his embrace. "Shhhh, easy sweetheart," he murmured, gently rubbing the back of her neck. DG struggled for another long moment before her writhing finally stopped, and Cain could feel the dampness of tears on his shirt before she let go of a choked sob. Wyatt didn't see what else he could do than just hold her as she cried, and he exchanged a glance with Raw over the top of DG's head before gently kissing the girl's temple and letting her cry herself back to sleep.

* * *

Cain rinsed off the last few dishes and set them on the drying rack, leaning heavily on the kitchen counter and letting his eyes fall closed against the early morning sunlight filtering through the window above the sink. It had been one more long night keeping watch at DG's side, watching helplessly as her temperature had gradually increased and the terrifying nightmares had taken hold, unable to do anything except wake her up as gently as possible and holding her as she fought between staying awake and falling back to sleep. Arianna had gotten back to the farmhouse just an hour ago, and had been sitting at her friend's side so the Tin Man and Viewer could wander a bit and stretch their legs. Still, Wyatt couldn't get himself to move any farther than a room away from where the two women were. DG had woken up again, her body weaker after the long night of fitful sleep and terrifying dreams, but having her friend there had a calming effect for the young woman.

The two were talking quietly, their conversation punctuated occasionally by the princess's rasping cough and longs stretches of silence where she couldn't talk for trying to catch her breath, and Cain let them have the privacy. DG might have only been away from the Otherside for a little over a month, but he knew she'd been feeling lonely even around their friends and her sister. Not that he blamed her; almost immediately following the eclipse the queen and her consort had turned their backs on their youngest daughter, pulling Azkadellia with them and practically leaving DG behind. With their new job assignments around the palace, even when they tried to make time to spend with the young savior of the OZ, he, Glitch and Raw were often just as guilty of forgetting about their friend. Sometimes he wondered if Ahamo had been right; if any of them had paid more attention to DG during those twenty days in which the virus was slowly taking hold over her, would things be different now? Was there anything they could have done to change where they were now, or to change Lavender's behavior toward the youngest princess?

He rolled his neck around, cringing slightly as it popped loudly, and finally opened his eyes to stare out the window. Raw was sitting far off in the field, the dark gold of his coat almost completely blending in with the tall autumn wheat. The farmhands that Carter and Joanna had hired to care for the crops while DG and her nurture units were absent had started in the field far opposite from where the Viewer was sitting, so the gentle empath was left in peace for now.

"She's sleeping again," Arianna spoke from the doorway, causing him to glance at her briefly before staring back out the window.

"Good," he nodded.

The young woman frowned slightly, unsure of whether he was being abrupt because he wanted to be left alone or because he had nothing to say.

"I talked to the board of directors at the hospital," she started, shifting her weight nervously. "I've been placed here full-time until DG's better." This time Cain turned to face her, one eyebrow raised on his forehead. "The paperwork's all done and filed, and Ahamo's said that he'd cover the expenses with an old account of his. So you don't have to worry about getting her the care she needs. Everything we'd need will be right here."

Wyatt's face was expressionless, but he finally nodded once more and stared back out the window. Arianna, sensing that the Tin Man might want to be left alone, nodded slightly and turned back toward the living room.

"Hey, doc," Cain finally spoke up, and the young woman stopped in her tracks. "So do you prefer 'Arianna' or just 'Ari'?"

"My parents and coworkers call me 'Arianna,' my friends call me 'Ari.'"

"Ari it is, then."

* * *

Wild screeching echoed all around her, leathery wings beating the air above her head as sharp claws and biting teeth came at her from every direction. One good tackle sent her tumbling to the floor, bony little hands clawing and fighting to hold her still. She struggled to hold back a cry of disgust as a bristly tail wrapped around her arm, a sudden burst of magic breaking free and catching one mobat squarely between the eyes and giving her the chance to fight the others off. She clutched at the tail, ripping it away and cringing when the creature's stiff hair left scratches on her skin. Another two animals descended on her from nowhere, one hoisting her up by the shoulders while the other wrapped its long wings around her legs in an attempt to stop her kicking. Finally wrenching herself free, she was suddenly falling for what felt like hours before landing on a cold stone floor. A pained cry bounced around the small confined space; her cry, she realized vaguely, and a fraction of a second later a burning pain seared up her arm. She could feel the hot tears streaming down her face, and she blinked furiously as she tried to orient herself. But the darkness was close and confining, stifling her breath as images of the marble coffin flashed through her mind. A frightened whimper escaped her, her chest tightening painfully as a wave of nausea washed over her and bright spots swam in front of her eyes. She tried to push herself into a sitting position, but a flash of pain surged up her arm again and it collapsed beneath her. She winced as her body hit the floor, her head rolling forward and her temple colliding with the unforgiving stone. Just that small movement brought the nausea on with a new fury as her heartbeat pounded in her ears and her entire body pulsed painfully.

"_Deege?!"_

She tried to lift her head, wanting to see Wyatt's face and feel his hand on hers, but all of her strength to move seemed to have left her completely. _"Raw! Where the hell is Arianna?"_

"_Go get her, now! Deege, come on darlin', look at me!"_

* * *

Wyatt carefully cradled DG's head in his hand as he turned her over, trying to hold her blank gaze with his as he tried to register what had happened. She was holding her left arm against her chest, her hand slick with blood from the shredded I.V. tube that had left the port wide open and her wrist at such an unnatural angle that he knew it had to be broken. Her face was flushed with fever, her forehead beaded with sweat, and the second he touched her he could feel her body seize up as she cried out in pain. The paced beeping of the heart monitor had turned into a high-pitched ringing that Cain barely even noticed as he tried to keep her with him. "Sweetheart, come on, I need you to look at me!"

Her eyes finally found his, a faint glimmer of recognition flickering in her pained gaze.

"_Wyatt,"_ her voice was a hoarse whisper, barely audible over the frantic screeching of the heart monitor, and her chest heaved with the effort it took her to breathe.

"I'm right here, darlin'," he murmured, not letting himself look away from her even when he saw Arianna and Raw sit down next to him. "You're gonna be okay, I just need you to stay with me."

"_I can't, Wyatt,"_ she whimpered.

"You can, Deege, you can because you've made it this far and you only have a couple more days to go," his thumb gently brushed away a tear that was trickling down her face. "Just keep your eyes on me, darlin', you'll be okay."

"Cain, I need you to move, I need to remove this I.V. or she could bleed out," Arianna's voice was urgent as she pushed him away, but again the Tin Man took no notice as his pleading gaze never left the young woman lying in front of him. Even as he watched, some of the light that he had come to associate with her sapphire-blue eyes flickered out, her eyelids threatening to fall closed.

"Deege, no, you stay awake!" Even he could hear the wavering in his voice as any rational thought he might have had was overtaken by the panic of seeing his fiancée fading away right in front of him. He gently framed her flushed face with one hand, fighting to hold her gaze with his. "Deege, come on, stay with me," he pleaded, his heart pounding painfully in his chest as though it were about to break. "Darlin', please, don't leave me!"


	13. Chapter 13: Days Following

**AN: So I had a little more trouble with this chapter than I thought I would. This is actually one of two chapters I wrote: one with this ending, and one with the other ending. I finally decided I like this one better, so here you go! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, as well as everyone who story watched, author watched, and story faved!**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it from somewhere else, it's not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

Ahamo paused as he passed his youngest daughter's suite, frowning slightly at the soft sound of weeping that came from within the chamber. He strode to the door and, finding it ajar, quietly entered the room.

"Azkadellia?" he murmured.

The eldest princess was sitting in the window seat of the front room, her eyes bright with tears as she stared out the window. The Consort had noticed that his daughter had been unusually quiet as of late, ever since the day that Ivy had sent word to him that the three travelers had successfully slipped over, but had not seen his oldest daughter shed a tear in all the time that had passed since the night the three had made their midnight escape from the castle. "Azkadellia?" he repeated her name softly, slowly approaching the young woman. He caught a glimpse of a scrap of paper she held in her hand, and it only took a moment of staring at the seventeen blue and red marks lined up at the top of the sheet for him to realize what it was. "Darling, what's wrong?"

She only barely glanced at him over her shoulder, her gaze fixed on the floor.

"Daddy," she whispered, sounding less like the brave young woman he had watched her become and more like the frightened little girl he had once guarded against the imaginary monsters under her bed. "I can't feel her light."

* * *

Cain gasped as he bolted awake, glancing around frantically for a moment before his brain registered where he was. Moonlight streamed through the window, faintly illuminating the increasingly familiar living room of the Kansas farmhouse. Glimpses of his nightmare flickered through his mind like some sort of torturous slideshow, and he rubbed a hand across his eyes as though it would make them stop.

The dream made it feel as though it was all happening again: finding DG lying motionless on the floor, the heat from her fever searing through his touch as he turned her over, listening to her breath rasp in her chest and her quiet voice as she spoke his name, her eyes finally dimming and falling closed, the heart monitor screeching in a panic that matched his own as her chest stopped moving and her pulse faded into nothing under his touch. He barely remembered his own tortured cry filling the room, or Gulch and Carter showing up and pulling him away, or wrenching one arm away and knocking a tooth from Gulch's mouth. The guard unit had quickly taken control again, and the two androids had struggled with the rage-induced strength of the Tin Man as they hauled him out to the porch. The fresh air had cut through his panic like a hot blade, his mind suddenly clearing as he realized what had just happened, and another cry had pulled itself from his chest as his knees gave out beneath him.

That had been five days ago. By now, DG should have been in the clear, yesterday should have been the last day of this hell and they should be watching her get better. He had woken up every night since then, reliving the same night over and over and knowing there was nothing he could do to change it.

Sighing heavily, he slowly stood and made his way toward the kitchen. He filled the teapot and set it on the stove, rummaging in the cupboards for a mug and the box of tea. He glanced up as he waited for the water to boil, his brow furrowing slightly as he caught notice of the open door leading outside though seeing it ajar didn't send up any particular red flags in his mind. Striding silently to the door, he found Raw sitting on the porch steps and staring out at the yard.

"Cain dreaming again," the Viewer murmured.

"Sorry, Furball."

"Should not be. Cannot control dreams." Raw gazed up at the Tin Man. "Tin Man feel guilty. Feels like could have done more for DG. Ari feel same."

Wyatt blinked in surprise, and opened his mouth to contradict the Viewer but immediately closed it again as he realized his friend was right; he did feel guilty. Even knowing that what happened wouldn't have changed if they had been in a hospital or back in the O.Z. didn't help the guilt. Behind him, the teapot was whistling on the stovetop, and he returned silently to the kitchen to fix his own tea as well as a cup for Raw before returning to the porch. Hunkering down on the step next to the Viewer and handing him a mug, Cain let his gaze wander around the yard. The swing that hung from the giant maple tree swayed slightly in the night breeze, and the fields just beyond the barn rippled like some giant mercuric river.

The hours passed silently as the two sat there, watching the shadows move across the moonlit yard and gradually fade as the giant silver orb sank below the horizon, then slowly form again as the sun rose from the opposite direction. Later, Cain would wonder how the time seemed to move so quickly when all they were doing was watching the unfamiliar stars as they traced their paths through the sky, but for now he didn't want to think anything.

Wyatt blinked drowsily in the bright orange light of the autumn sunrise, watching the fog burn off the yard and feeling the air slowly warm, then sighed and pulled himself off the stoop to return to the house.

"Day twenty-one."

* * *

"I don't _want_ to talk to her!" Azkadellia practically growled at her father. "_She_ is the reason why I was unable to stay with my sister, why DG had to leave the city and why I couldn't say goodbye to the one person in this family who never gave up on me! For all I care she can spend the rest of her reign and the rest of her gods-forsaken _life_ not knowing what she did to my sister!" Her anger seemed to cool down as quickly as it had boiled up, and she crossed her arms stubbornly as she sat down unceremoniously on a nearby chaise. "At this point I would much rather leave court than give that woman any chance to ever be happy again. Let her wonder for the next hundred years about whether she'll ever see her youngest daughter again, and I say let her die not knowing."

* * *

"Cain cannot continue like this," Raw grumbled disapprovingly, the light around his hands fading as he finished healing the Tin Man's split knuckles. "Better ways to deal with pain in heart than with physical pain. And don't move arm, hand may be broken."

"Shove it, Furball," Wyatt growled, trying to hold his other arm still where it rested on the kitchen table. After seven days of taking out his frustration on the walls of an empty stall in the barn, his right hand had stopped working properly and he couldn't un-flex any of his fingers. Since Raw was unable to see the bones and therefore unable to heal them properly, they were waiting for Joanna to finish up at work so she could give the Tin Man a ride to the hospital.

"No!" Raw snarled, abruptly standing up and glaring at the Tin Man, the fierce tone of his usually-quiet voice causing Wyatt's eyebrows to shoot up his forehead. "Cain being selfish and acting like child, thinking causing self pain is only way of coping. Cain not only one affected by what happened to DG, needs to pull head from ass and realize that living in past with guilt of something that not your fault will not change what happened and will rip Tin Man and everyone apart!"

"You need to learn to keep that gift of yours in check, Fuzzball! What goes on in my head and how I feel is no one's business but mine!" Cain got to his feet, his blue eyes pinning the Viewer with an icy stare.

"It my business when promise to friend is broken," Raw's dark gaze held steady, a fierce rage flickering in his eyes. "Cain promise DG that always be there, but when Cain go off into own mind and rip self apart is not there for DG, only there for self! Cain break promise to DG!" Something in the room shifted, as though the very air they were breathing suddenly became denser, and Cain needed a split-second to regain his mental footing.

"You need to stop breaking into emotions that have nothing to do with you!"

A sudden wave of red magic blasted through the house, nearly knocking the Tin Man off his feet and causing his mind to backtrack in shock.

"Cain need to stop acting like DG already dead!"

* * *

Azkadellia felt as though all the air had left her lungs as the corridor seemed to shake around her, but after a moment she realized that nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The servants making their way through the hallway were going about their business as usual, and few seemed to notice that the crown princess had stopped dead in her tracks.

"Is everything alright, Your Highness?" A maid had paused beside her, her head tilted slightly in curiosity. Most of the palace staff had avoided the young woman, even with the royal family's insistence that the sorceress who had possessed her was truly gone, but with Az's mellow temperament and how she had been acting since DG became ill the young maid saw no reason to fear her.

"Yes, Lina, everything's fine," Az replied, grasping for an explanation. "I just remembered something important." One hand tingled as though with magic, and the princess frowned as she truly did recall something. "Tell me, where is my father?"

"He is in his office, Highness," Lina curtsied. "I believe he is speaking privately with Queen Lavender."

"He's speaking with my mother?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Lina curtsied again.

* * *

"Father!" Az burst into the room, ignoring the screeching secretary behind her and shutting the door with a slam. She froze in her tracks once again, however, when she spotted her parents sitting on a low sofa near the window, Ahamo's arm wrapped comfortingly around the queen's shoulders. "Mother?"

"Azkadellia, is what your father tells me true?"

The young woman swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to keep her face as emotionless as possible.

"Do you mean about DG?" Despite being anxious to talk to her father, she managed to keep her voice at a monotone.

"Of course I mean about DG! What else could I possibly be talking about?"

"Yes, it is true. It has been over a week since I last felt her light. Since I am the last full-power mage who is related to her by blood, you know what it means. Father?" She turned to Ahamo, fighting to keep her voice even. "I believe you keep a list of all the mages that work in the palace?"

"Of course I do, darling, you know that."

"I will need to see it. I feel that something has just occurred that will affect the future of the O.Z., but unless I speak to others who have light I can't be sure." She glanced at her mother. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, mother. Your light may not be as strong as it once was, but as queen you are still magically bound to the Zone."

Ahamo turned to his wife, his expression one of aggravation and curiosity at what his eldest daughter was talking about.

"Dearest? What is she talking about?"

"I cannot be certain," Lavender sighed, caught between the grief for her youngest daughter and the uncertainty of the event that she too had just felt. "But if it is what I believe it to be, then Azkadellia is most certainly right. The O.Z. has chosen another mage."

* * *

_RED magic?_ Cain's mind was reeling, trying to recover from the aftershocks of the unfamiliar wave of magic as well as attempting to grasp what the Viewer had just said to him. Raw strode up to him, his dark eyes still simmering with anger though there was something more beyond that now; the air was practically sizzling with energy that the Tin Man had never felt before.

"DG not dead, Cain need to stop acting like she is and start being there for her again. Cain need to stop breaking promise, because DG not find her way back unless Tin Man there to lead her."

"What's going on in here? I could hear you two arguing all the way at the end of the driveway," Joanna peered in through the door, her face a mask of shock at finding the two men fighting.

The energy that was swimming through the room suddenly lessened, and Raw blinked uncertainly as though awaking from a dream.

"It was just a disagreement," Wyatt managed to choke out, releasing a breath he hadn't even been aware of holding. The adrenaline rushing through his veins was suddenly starting to wane, and he stumbled back into the kitchen chair he had been sitting in before the argument.

"That must have been some disagreement," the woman muttered dryly, shaking her head and _tsk_ing quietly at the sight of Cain's hand. "Well, your hand is definitely broken; you don't need a doctor to tell you that. Come on, let's get you to the hospital and get that patched up."

* * *

"I might be a robot, Cain, but that doesn't mean I'm completely ignorant of everything beyond my programming."

Wyatt glanced at Joanna out of the corner of his eye, his head still swimming from the medication they had given him before setting his hand. He didn't remember much of the past few hours, though he was almost certain there had been no segway into this conversation.

"Interrogating someone who's under the influence?" he drawled, some part of his brain telling him that he shouldn't have to concentrate so much to put words together. "Maybe you're the one who should'a been the guard unit 'nstead of Gulch."

"I raised two sons and two other daughters besides Arianna, and every one of them has broken at least one bone in their lifetime. It's infinitely easier to give a frank talk to someone when they're on Vicodin. And . . . judging by this prescription they gave you," she chuckled, shaking the little plastic bottle that held several more of the pills. "You'll be easier to talk to for weeks. Raw's going to have a field day with this."

"Furball doesn't have that kind of sense of humor."

"I don't think it'll matter, breaking the bones in your hand isn't like breaking other bones. Even with that . . . charming cast they gave you, " she chuckled again, glancing at the emerald green plaster shell that encased the entire lower half of Cain's arm, and the Tin Man frowned slightly; he didn't remember asking for a _colored_ cast. "Just moving your arm can cause the pain to flare up all over again. You'll need that prescription more than you might think."

Wyatt sighed, letting his head fall back against the seat's headrest, shifting his arm uncomfortably in the sling around his neck.

"Is there some purpose behind this conversation?" he murmured, his eyes falling closed. He was getting the suspicious feeling that this would be just like the time his mother had given him a talking-to for climbing the neighbor's talking apple tree. The damned thing had thrown him twenty feet and he'd broken his leg, but that hadn't kept his mother from unleashing her anger that her nine-year-old son had broken both their household rule and the law by trespassing on Old Man Koot's property.

"There is. After raising five children do you really expect me to believe that you broke your hand by falling down the stairs?" she glanced at him over the tops of her glasses before returning her gaze to the road. "I saw the x-rays, the type of break was all wrong. Makes me wonder if this has anything to do with that argument you and Raw got into."

"Maybe it did." He was evading the situation and he knew it, but damn it all to hell if he was going to talk about any of this when he was having trouble stringing two words together.

He could tell by the silence that Joanna was thinking of saying something else, but a loud chirping noise suddenly filled the car and made both the Tin Man and android jump in surprise. Wyatt opened his eyes a crack and watched Joanna pull her "cell phone" from her jacket pocket. He was still getting used to the damn thing; sure they had telephones in the O.Z., though they were mostly in the large cities, but he doubted even Glitch would be able to come up with something as advanced the miniature wireless device.

"It's the farmhouse," Joanna murmured. It took a moment for her words to sink in, but Cain found that he was able to wake up very quickly once he realized what she had said. His head still felt like it was floating several miles above the rest of him, but his foggy stare focused as best it could on the woman as she flipped the phone open. "Hello, Ari?" she glanced at him as she listened to the voice on the other end of the line. "Wait, sweetheart, slow down. Are you sure?" Her grip on the phone and the steering wheel tightened almost imperceptibly as her daughter talked. "We're on our way back, but we're still about twenty minutes from town . . . he's doing what?" The android's eyebrows shot up her forehead and nearly disappeared under her hair. "Alright, we'll keep an eye and ear out for him. See you soon, love you too. Bye." She closed the phone and tossed it to him. "Elmer's coming to meet us and escort us back to the farmhouse."

"Why? What's wrong?" he mumbled, juggling with the phone for a moment before finally keeping his grip on it. "Joanna, what's going on?"

"DG's fever has broken, Cain, she's finally getting better!"


	14. Chapter 14: Daybreak

**AN: Sorry about the long wait on this one, I was originally going to put this chapter together with everything from the next two chapters, but Dark Insomniac helped the muse realize that it would probably be better to split it up into several smaller chapters. You guys can thank writer23 for this, since it was her wish that there would be a chapter where Cain and DG can just be together and be happy, so they get to spend a full year (roughly) on the Otherside before the next story starts up (yup, there's another story in the works!). Hope you all enjoy, and thanks to everyone who alerted/faved/reviewed the last chapter!**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize a person, place, item, location, or idea from somewhere else, it's not mine. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

**Night . . . .**

It seemed like all she could remember was pain, worried faces hovering over her in a dense fog, and his voice. But there was none of that now. The haze that seemed to cling to her thoughts was lifting slowly, and she recalled being cold though that had also disappeared. She was warm, comfortably so, and the pulsing pain that she remembered so clearly was gone save for the slight discomfort in her arm. A cool breeze drifted by, and she was dimly aware of a gentle hand brushing over her hair. She tried to move her arm, wondering why it still hurt and why it was so hard to lift away from her chest, and that soothing hand paused briefly on her forehead.

"Deege?"

She wanted to turn toward his voice, but her head felt too heavy to move. "It's alright, darlin', don't try to move too much. Can you open your eyes for me?"

She remembered the last time she'd heard his voice, how it had been panicked and demanding as he talked to her; it scared her to think of him being scared. Now, his voice was calmer, slower, and more deliberate than she could ever remember hearing it before. It seemed to take her a lot longer to open her eyes than she felt it should, but as Wyatt's hand continued to brush through her bangs she realized that he wasn't especially concerned about it. The room finally came into focus, though it still seemed to swim in front of her eyes and the silvery glow that flowed in through the windows wasn't helping much. She was lying on the couch in her family's living room, her head resting on Cain's thigh and her torso propped up on a couple pillows so her neck didn't bend at an uncomfortable angle, and she was able to turn her head enough to look up at him. "Hey darlin'," he murmured quietly, a tired smile crossing his face.

"Hey," she replied hoarsely, her throat scratchy. She swallowed uncomfortably, trying to move the lump that had formed in her throat. "What day is it?"

"Thirty-one." Wyatt's smile slowly grew, and he brushed a tear from her cheek before leaning over and planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You did it."

"We did it," she met his gaze as he leaned back against the sofa's cushions. "I had you here with me the whole way." She turned into his hand, letting her eyes fall closed for a moment before looking back up at him. Her tired stare took in the cast and sling that bound his right arm, and she seemed to move her left arm experimentally before deciding that knowing what had happened wasn't the most important thing at the moment. "What happens now?"

Cain shrugged, blinking tiredly.

"It doesn't matter; we've got time to decide."

She thought about this for a moment, and it finally began to dawn on her that this whole thing was over, that she didn't have to worry any more. Memories began to filter back through her mind; the fear of learning the full potential of the virus, of escaping from the palace and finding out that it was because of her own mother than they had to stay hidden, the disbelief and overwhelming love she felt when Wyatt had proposed. Suddenly, all she really felt was relieved exhaustion. It was finally over.

"Wyatt?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I go back to sleep?"

The Tin Man chuckled, a sound she couldn't remember hearing in a long time. It sounded rusty and underused, like the hinges on the old tin suit they'd found him in, but it made her smile to hear it.

"Sure, darlin', whatever you want."

* * *

**Night 33**

Cain blinked, his vision swimming in front of his eyes and his mind taking a moment to realize that he had fallen asleep. Beside him, DG still slept soundly, wheezing softly with each breath, and Wyatt sighed quietly as he watched her. Even though the most dangerous part of the illness was definitely over, the young woman wouldn't be completely out of the woods until the virus died off entirely. That meant they still had another week at least. Ari had warned him that, given the virus's violent reaction to the medication DG had been on in Farthin and the dangerous fevers she had suffered, there was a chance that it would take even longer than a week for her health to noticeably improve. Even then, there was no saying whether there would be any long-term effects of her extended illness and hospitalization. The doctor had been ready to rattle off any number of problems that her friend might face, but he had stopped her before she could get going. They had just pulled through one problem; he didn't need to be thinking about another.

DG shifted uncomfortably, her forehead creasing slightly, and he reached over to gently run his fingers through her hair. The girl shuddered, goosebumps rising on her arms as an autumn breeze flowed in through the window, and her breath caught in her chest for a moment before evening out. Cain reached over the back of the couch and pulled another blanket over her; he knew she wanted to leave the windows open as long as possible, even with the nights cooling off as much as they were. Her breath hitched again, this time evolving into a gasping cough that gurgled in her chest. It was nowhere near as bad as her coughing fits had been while she was sick, but Cain still moved to sit on the edge of the couch and carefully pulled her into a sitting position. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he let her lean against him as he held a plastic basin up to her mouth.

"Come on, Deege, just spit it all out," he murmured. The young woman's face crumpled in pain; she wasn't used to sitting up. Her entire body convulsed for several long minutes before her breathing finally calmed again. She spit one last time into the basin before relaxing against him, her good arm instinctively wrapping around her torso. "Easy, darlin', lie back down, it's alright." He made sure she was comfortable before getting unsteadily to his feet and shuffling to the kitchen. It was more walking than Ari really wanted him to be doing, considering his reaction to the meds he was on, but she was sleeping and he figured what she didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

He leaned against the doorframe for a moment before he returned to the living room, giving his legs a moment to stop shaking. As he circled back around the couch, he saw that DG had woken up.

"I thought we were done with all this," she murmured, her gaze fixed on the sky outside the window.

"The virus is still dying off, darlin', and your body's workin' to get rid of it. It'll take a while before you start feeling better." He slowly stumbled the rest of the way to his chair, and he reached down to pick up a glass of juice he'd set on the floor. "Here," he held a straw to her lips. "You don't have to drink it, just rinse your mouth out."

She took a long sip of the juice and, because she knew he wanted her to, swished it around her mouth for a minute before swallowing.

"I hate this," she sighed, not willing to look at the Tin Man and instead letting her gaze rove along the seams between the boards of the ceiling.

"I know you do," Wyatt admitted, unsteadily pulling himself back off the chair and dropping onto the couch by her feet. He carefully lifted her feet up and scooted closer to her, letting them rest on his thigh. "Sometimes the recovery is harder to handle than the illness, because it takes so long to get up and going again. Now that you're starting to feel better you want to be back where you were before you got sick." He carefully squeezed her ankle, firmly rubbing over her foot, feeling her tense up at the touch before finally relaxing. It was a reflex whenever someone touched her now; she'd been in pain for so long, a pain that had been aggravated by something as simple as contact from another person, her body didn't know how to react to touch anymore. "The virus took a lot out of you, more than it normally would only because you had it for so long. You just gotta be patient, kiddo; it's gonna take some time."

"I'm not good at being patient," she sighed, turning slightly to look at him.

He chuckled, that same steady laugh that always made her smile, and he let his head fall back against the back of the couch.

"You don't need to tell me that; I can't remember a single time since I met you that you've been patient about anything." He glared playfully at her, his eyes glinting tiredly. His strong, sure hand moved to her other foot, holding it still when she tried to pull it away. "Easy, darlin'."

"I can't help it."

"I know. It's alright, you just gotta get used to not hurting." His thumb firmly rubbed along the sole of her foot, and she stared at him for a long moment. It was easy for her to forget that he was practically in the same boat as she was. While he wasn't confined to bed rest like she was, his broken hand acted up almost constantly. Even when he wore his sling, any errant movement he made would send spikes of pain through his entire arm. It had become so bad that Ari now kept him heavily medicated, and he had a hard time functioning. She knew he hated it, but the medication was often the only thing that allowed him to sleep at night. Until his hand healed, there wasn't anything else to be done. Still, he was here and taking care of her as best he could as though nothing was wrong.

"What're you thinkin' about, sweetheart?"

"You."

One eyebrow rose slowly on Wyatt's forehead, but he remained silent. DG frowned slightly, trying to figure out how to explain the multitude of thoughts that had run through her mind in the past minute. "Where's your sling?"

The second eyebrow rose in mild surprise, but he nodded toward the armchair where he had been sitting. DG craned her neck, slowly rolling over and stretching to reach it where it sat on the arm of the chair, and handed it to him. "Could you put it on?"

He still didn't say anything, but looped the strap around his neck and rested his arm in the sling, the curious look never leaving his face.

"Deege?"

"You shouldn't have to be taking care of me like this, not when you're hurt. If I wasn't sick, you'd be hurt worse than I am." She looked away, her fingers tracing over the edge of her cast. "I don't like to see you hurt."

Cain smiled faintly, his good hand going back to rub DG's feet.

"Hurtin' doesn't bother me, darlin'; I had to hurt for a long time before I met you. I'm used to it."

"It's not the same," she sighed, a faint note of frustration in her voice. "You wear your heart on your sleeve more than I think you realize. I would worry more if you still hid your emotions as much as you did when we first let you out of the suit, or if you still turned them all into anger." She finally looked back at him, trying to keep her voice passive when she saw the blatant look of shock on his face. "But some part of me still likes to think that nothing can really hurt you. When we were crossing the O.Z., you jumped off a cliff into a river and pulled Glitch and me to shore, then walked around all night after getting bitten by a Papay. Zero shot you out of a second-story window and into a frozen lake. And then you got shot by a Longcoat and didn't even need Raw to heal you before you were walking around again."

Her gaze rose to the ceiling again, half wishing he would say something to stop this rant and half glad he wasn't saying anything. "I guess knowing that you were able to make it across the Zone in one piece makes it harder for me to see you barely being able to function because of a broken hand."

Cain didn't say anything for a minute, but he finally sighed.

"Deege, look at me," he ordered quietly, and when she finally turned back to meet his eyes he granted her a small grin. "I'm sorry that this bothers you so much, I don't mean to push myself so hard. I guess it's just force of habit; it's been a long time since I've been able to slow down and not worry about anything."

DG grinned.

"You don't have to worry anymore, Wyatt, not while we're here." She reached down with her good hand, and he took it in his. "You've taken good care of me, and I'm not going anywhere if you stop running yourself until it hurts. I'm okay now, and I want you to be okay too." She squeezed his hand as best she could, and he brushed his thumb over her fingers. "Can you slow down? Let someone else take care of me?"

"Yeah, darlin', I think I can do that."

* * *

**Night 37**

"Stop scratchin' at it," he mumbled drowsily, though his eyes didn't open. She shifted against him, and after a moment he sighed. "That goes for the other hand too."

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" she grumbled halfheartedly, though she stopped scratching at the clear adhesive that held the I.V. port in her hand.

"Can't sleep if I have to keep an eye on you. You're s'posed to be sleeping too, darlin'," he finally glanced down at her, smiling tiredly at the exasperated expression on DG's face. He rolled his eyes, letting them fall closed again as he carefully adjusted his embrace around her. She settled more comfortably against him, curling her legs up on the cushion beside her. "I can't sleep; my hand hurts too much."

DG bit her lip nervously.

"Isn't the medicine helping?"

"It will; I only took it a little bit ago and it hasn't kicked in yet." His eyes opened again and he gently kissed her temple. "Don't let yourself worry over it, sweetheart, I don't think either of us needs to worry about anything for a while."

DG sighed quietly, letting her gaze wander around the room as Wyatt's cheek rested on top of her head. She'd had a few days after waking up to simply rest, but now Ari was having her sit up as much as she could. It was still slow going; DG's appetite hadn't returned much as of yet, though she managed to eat some small amount of food each day, and she still tired out easily.

Wyatt's embrace around her shifted again, his hand slipping down to her waist, and his gentle sigh caused her bangs to flutter over her eyes. The fact that the virus was finally dying off and she was getting better didn't change the Tin Man's need to stay nearby, but she enjoyed being close to him and knowing he was there. It seemed like the uncertainty about the future had lasted forever, and now neither of them wanted to risk being away from the other any more than they needed to be. DG reached up and touched the silver ring that hung from a thin chain around her neck. The night he had proposed to her was one of the clearest memories she had from the time they had spent at the hospital in Farthin, and she truly believed that Wyatt being there had helped her pull through. She had a connection with him that she'd never had with anyone else; even during the times when she had been blinded by the pain and the fever, some small part of her knew that he was there.

Thinking of this, she rolled over enough that she could rest her forehead against Wyatt's neck, her good hand reaching around and covering his where it rested on her waist. She wanted to stay as close to him as she could, so she could hear his breathing and feel his heart beat; it was like a lullaby to her. Even though she couldn't get herself to tell him, her nightmares had come back, and knowing he was there at night seemed to keep the haunting visions away. At least most of the time; it had been a nightmare that woke her up tonight. DG felt a chill run through her as the dream flickered through her mind again, a tear trickling down her face as she remembered.

"Shhhh, darlin', it's alright," Wyatt murmured, kissing her temple again. "I'm here."

"I know," she whispered, finally pushing the nightmare away and letting herself drift back into sleep.

* * *

**Day ****43**

"This is a bit of the blind leading the blind, isn't it?" Cain's voice trickled into the hallway from the living room, no small amount of humor lacing his words.

Arianna peered around the doorframe, Raw and Gulch close behind as they watched DG's first attempt at standing and walking since before they had slipped over. Since her appetite had returned, Ari had removed her I.V. and given her a prescription for oral painkillers for her wrist. Seeing as Cain himself was still on the same prescription, the spectacle of both the princess and the Tin Man attempting to walk _together_ wasn't something that anyone else in the house wanted to miss.

"Are you sure this is safe for them?" Elmer wondered quietly. "I never would have thought that a guy Cain's size would have such a low drug tolerance."

"Seeing as how you've never actually broken a _bone_, Gulch, I'm going to wager that you've never been on Vicodin either. There's a reason why you're only supposed to take half of a pill at a time, even a low dose is enough to knock out a cow. That's why I've been keeping an eye on how much they take; too much can be dangerous," she shot a good-humored glare at the cop. "And I don't hear you asking about DG's tolerance to drugs."

"I was the one who found you two and the rest of your buddies after senior prom. If DG's reacting to this stuff the same way she reacts to alcohol, I know she _has_ no tolerance to it."

The conversation in the next room had waned as DG slowly got to her feet, her good hand gripping Cain's, and the three spectators found themselves holding their breaths as the young woman managed to shuffle a few feet across the wooden floor. The silence was deafening until DG let out the most ridiculous snort that any of them had ever heard and suddenly lost her balance. Cain managed to step in front of her and catch her with his good arm, but it wasn't long before the two of them had to sit on the floor from laughing too hard. Ari watched them for a moment, a look of total disbelief on her face, and barely suppressed a groan as she buried her face in her hands.

"Are you _sure_ we still have six more weeks of this?"

"Seven," Raw corrected her, chuckling to himself. "Cain broke hand one week after DG, will not get cast off until one week later."

"Ozma," the young woman muttered, mentally clocking herself for using the euphemism. She really had been around the other Ozians for too long. "Seven more weeks of a hyperactive Tin Man?"

"Cain not hyperactive," the Viewer murmured thoughtfully, watching Wyatt and DG as they brushed away the tears that were streaming down their faces and struggled to get back up. However, DG's somewhat altered sense of humor seemed to be winning. "Cain more relaxed. Not just medicine, either. Has had little to laugh about, been worried about DG. Knowing princess is better, getting healthier makes him happy. Medicine helps, Raw thinks," he chuckled again. Cain and DG had finally made it back to the couch, though they were still laughing so hard all they could do was collapse breathlessly onto the cushions. "Raw never see Tin Man like this, thinks perhaps medicine changes Cain's personality, but maybe it okay. Tin Man happy, able to show it. DG hyperactive, makes Cain act crazy. Raw think Gulch right, princess has no tolerance."

Arianna shook her head, watching her two friends as they finally caught their breath, but secretly she was happy to see the two of them together. DG had always been one of her closest friends, and Ari knew that the younger woman was a bit of a loner when it came to socializing with other people their age. The two of them had watched their classmates find middle-school crushes and high-school sweethearts, and the young doctor hadn't missed her friend's longing stares when the more popular students at their school walked by with their significant-other-_du-jour_. Fleeting though those relationships might have been, DG had still wished for a knight in shining armor of her own to come and sweep her off her feet, and Ari had wanted that for her. Granted, Cain was anything _but_ a guy their own age, but as she watched the two of them make a second failed attempt at getting across the room without tripping over their own feet she decided it really didn't matter. A blind man could see how insanely in love the two of them were, and now that the fear of DG's illness was well and truly behind them they were freer to show it and act like lovesick idiots than they had been before. And, to tell the truth, she agreed with Gulch and Raw: the medicine was no doubt lowering their inhibitions.

She chuckled, shaking her head again.

"Come on, we can leave them alone. This house has survived two travel storms in the past two months, hopefully it can survive two stoned lovebirds for a few more minutes."

* * *

**Day 50**

"Easy, Deege, don't be in too much of a rush to get anywhere. This is only the second time you've attempted stairs in almost two months," Ari held her friend steady as DG stumbled briefly, and they paused for a moment as the younger woman regained her bearings. "And only the first time attempting going _down_ stairs. I want you to take your time; the living room isn't going anywhere."

DG exhaled sharply, but her arms were shaking as she leaned on Ari and the stair banister.

"Last time I was on these stairs I was able to run down them with no problem," she murmured, her voice strained as she struggled to breathe comfortably. "I've been walking fine, why are the stairs so hard?"

"It's a different kind of walking, you have to balance differently and use different muscles. And your lungs have to get used to the harder work." Ari rested her hand on DG's shoulder to keep her from lurching forward. "That's why I want you to take it easy. Even when you're just walking you still need someone with you." She sighed. "Why I ever let you talk me into letting you go upstairs for a bath is beyond me."

DG did chuckle this time, though she had to fight again to take a breath.

"If it's worth anything, I feel better."

"Yeah, I bet," Ari laughed as they finally reached the bottom step, and she helped DG over to the couch to sit down. "Catch your breath for a minute; I need to check your vitals before I agree to let you go outside." After making sure DG was sitting comfortably, Ari skirted the couch again to flip through the chart she'd left on the kitchen table.

She frowned slightly as she glanced over the past few days, re-reading the notes she had written. She supposed it shouldn't have been as much of a surprise when DG had come down with a mild fever two days ago; after being sick for so long, her immune system was shot. Ari had thought Cain was about to have an aneurysm the morning that DG had woken up with a temperature, but she had managed to calm him down enough to understand that it wasn't anything to worry about, it was just a common cold. They would just need to keep an eye on DG and make sure she didn't overexert herself.

Dropping the folder back on the table, Ari reached for one of the prescription bottles sitting on the counter, twisting the cap off and dumping the pills into her hand so she could count them out. Her frown deepened as she counted out the pills from the second bottle; Cain had almost half the number of pills left that DG did. The pain from his broken hand was almost uncontrollable; only a heavy dose of the narcotic kept it at a tolerable level, but at this point it didn't make sense. Already DG had moved from the stronger painkiller to a lower dose of ibuprofen. As it was, the cold medicine she was on took care of any pain she still had in her wrist. Granted, Cain hadn't broken his hand until close to a week after DG had broken her wrist, so some difference in pain was expected. But the fact that he was still relying so heavily on the dangerous meds didn't sit right with her.

Ari shook her head, picking DG's file back up and heading back for the living room. DG was almost nodding off, her eyes drooping closed. The doctor sat next to her friend, wrapping a blood pressure cuff around her good arm and starting up the machine that had taken the place of the other monitors before holding out a thermometer for DG to put in her mouth. "You know the drill, Deege, make sure it stays put this time. There's a reason why I won't let you go outside if your temperature's too high."

DG rolled her eyes tiredly, but the thermometer kept her from replying. Ari adjusted her stethoscope and held it to DG's chest, and the room remained silent for a few long minutes until the thermometer and blood pressure monitor beeped almost simultaneously. DG immediately pulled the thermometer out, glancing at it before showing the miniature screen to Arianna.

"Hundred point two," she mumbled, her voice emotionless as sleep slowly caught up to her.

"Thanks, Deege. Do you need another dose before you fall asleep? It's been six hours since your last one, so if you need it you can take it."

"Yeah, my throat's starting to hurt again."

"Alright, I want you to have your oxygen on while you're sleeping; your lungs had to work pretty hard earlier. Let me go get your meds and I'll have Raw help Cain in." She wrote new notes in the file, then got to her feet and returned to the kitchen.

"He probably fell asleep out there."

"I wouldn't be surprised. It's about the time you both doze off for a nap anyway." Ari broke open the packaging on another pair of cold pills and filled a glass with water. Strolling back into the living room, she grabbed DG's old sweatshirt from where it sat draped over a kitchen chair. "Here, Deege. It's the night-time stuff, so don't fight falling asleep." She waited until her friend swallowed the pills, then helped her shrug into the oversized sweatshirt before placing the thin tube from the oxygen tank in her nose and tightening it under her chin. DG slowly lied down, drifting off almost instantly, and Ari pulled a blanket over her before making her way to the front door.

Raw was crouching on the front steps, staring out at the fields beyond the house, and Cain was stretched out in one of the wicker chairs with his fedora over his face. The Viewer turned around to glance at her as she stepped out onto the porch, nodding and getting to his feet.

"Cain not sleeping long, but getting cooler outside. Would be better for him to be inside. Raw wake up, help Ari move Tin Man indoors."

"Thanks, Raw," she sighed, crossing her arms against the breeze that drifted by. It was the first day they'd had that actually felt like autumn, though the weather report from that morning had predicted an Indian summer until the middle of next month. But the leaves on the sparse trees that surrounded the house were already starting to turn, and the farm-hands off in the east fields were checking to make sure the wheat would be ready to harvest within the next week or so.

Cain mumbled incoherently as Raw shook him awake, and when Ari turned he saw that the Tin Man's eyes were bleary with sleep and the high dose of painkillers he was on. She shook her head, but didn't miss the look that Raw threw her way as the two of them helped Cain stand. After carefully leading the man into the house and helping him settle into his usual armchair, Raw motioned to the young doctor, silently asking her to follow him into the kitchen.

"Something not right with Cain," the Viewer murmured, his dark eyes concerned. "Raw cannot see why, but hand not healing way supposed to. Is causing pain."

"It's nice to know I'm not the only one concerned about that. How long ago did you notice?"

"Few days. Raw not sure why unable to notice before, but Raw worried that Cain not be able to use hand if it not heal right."

Arianna nodded, glancing at her watch briefly.

"I have to head over to the hospital anyway and input DG's records into the system. I'm going to make an appointment for Cain to have his hand x-rayed again, see if there's something they missed before. Carter should be on his way here in case you need anything, but you can let these two sleep all they want. They both need the rest." She took up her jacket from the coat hook by the door and headed back towards the door, but paused for a second and grinned at the Viewer. "Thanks for all your help, Raw. We'll be able to get Cain patched up again, I promise."


	15. Chapter 15: Nightfall

**AN: So, since I ended up splitting my idea for a last chapter into three chapters, I get to play with the details a lot more. One more chapter after this, then it's on to the next story! Dark Insomniac found this chapter in particular very entertaining: I would like to point out that a lot of this chapter was written on mornings around 2 or 3 in the morning, and sometimes I would wake up the next day and even the muse would go "WHUT?" But I digress. Dark Insomniac gave this the double thumbs up, so it's up and ready to go! Hope you enjoy, I know I had fun writing it!**

**AN 2: So, for those of you who have never had the pleasure of having an operation (insert sarcasm here), this chapter risks exposing you to a side of the hospital you might not be familiar with. I have had a reader ask me this, and I will say right now that I have spent a fair amount of time in the hospital for surgeries. There's nothing graphic, but a lot of what I've written in this chapter is based on my own experience. Feel free to ask anything you want in your reviews, if you would like to.**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize a person, place, object or idea from somewhere else, it doesn't belong to me. However, the idea for this story is mine, so hands off.**

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* * *

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**Night 53**

"I wish I could go with you tomorrow," DG murmured, turning her face into Cain's shoulder as she snuggled against him. His hand gently rubbed her back, though his eyes stayed closed, and he sighed quietly.

"You know you can't, Deege," he replied, his words slurring together slightly. "You've still got that cold, and bein' in a hospital can expose you to bugs that you wouldn't be able to handle right now. Your immune system still needs some time to kick in."

"I know why I can't," she complained quietly. "That doesn't mean I don't want to be there with you. I've been worried about you, it doesn't take a doctor to know something's wrong. Besides," she chuckled, grinning mischievously. "Ari and Gulch are going to have enough trouble just getting you around, I don't think they'd be able to manage two of us."

A faint grin crossed the Tin Man's face, and his eyes opened just enough for him to glare good-naturedly at her.

"Love you too, Deege," he murmured sarcastically.

She chuffed quietly, but her tired smile disappeared after a moment as she played with a loose string on the hem of her sweatshirt.

"Wyatt?"

"Yeah darlin'?"

"Promise me you'll let me know what's going on?"

Wyatt's eyes flickered open again, one eyebrow rising slowly on his forehead. But he saw the look on DG's face, and held her closer to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Sure, sweetheart. I'll let you know everything."

* * *

**Day 54**

"Not eating isn't going to bring them home any faster, DG," Joanna scolded gently from where she stood at the counter, resting one flour-covered hand on her hip as she turned and stared fixedly at the young woman over the top of her glasses.

"They've been gone all day, I thought they'd be back by now," DG sighed, shifting listlessly in her chair and trying to stomach another mouthful of her soup.

"They probably just got caught up somewhere. Arianna would call us if something was wrong." She regarded DG a while longer before shaking her head and turning toward the sink to rinse her hands off. The younger woman finally pushed her bowl away, folding her arms on the table and resting her head, feeling her eyes growing heavy. Joanna was standing at her shoulder a moment later, rubbing her back and holding out the thermometer. "Let's take your temperature, then you can go lie down."

DG dutifully held the thermometer in her mouth, letting her eyes fall closed for a moment as Joanna's gentle hand brushed her bangs from her eyes and rested on her forehead. It was almost jarring when the tiny device finally beeped, and DG twitched at the sound.

"One hundred point seven," the android sighed. "That means no more walking around for you today, you need your rest." She carefully helped DG stand, guiding her into the living room and holding her steady as she practically collapsed on the couch. She tucked a quilt over the young woman, helping her with the oxygen tubing and brushing her hair back from her face. "I'm going to go finish up in the kitchen, then I'll come out here and sit with you. Let yourself sleep, alright?"

"Yeah," DG murmured, pulling the blanket tighter around herself and letting her eyes fall closed.

* * *

The cushions she was lying on sank slightly near her feet, half-pulling her from sleep and leaving her wondering if it had happened in a dream or in real life.

"No, this is what happens when an emergency-room hack does an orthopedist's job. He's been in that cast for a month, and because of some stupid kid who thinks himself a doctor it's been a waste!"

Arianna's angry voice echoed from the hallway, and DG scowled tiredly for a moment before opening her eyes, blinking until she realized she was getting a close-up view of the couch cushions. She had to wriggle slightly to prop herself up on her good arm; the blanket Joanna had covered her with earlier was wrapped around her like some sort of over-snug cocoon. The fuzzy, vague feeling was lifting slowly, and she tried to blink the dregs of sleep away so she could at least think clearly.

Joanna and Ari were standing in the hallway, backlit against the ceiling light. They must have seen her sit up, because they exchanged a quick glance and moved away from the door.

"You feelin' better?" Cain's voice asked quietly, and she turned to find him sitting at the other end of the couch. She frowned at seeing him; he was slouched against the couch's backrest, his eyes were closed and he looked too pale.

"A little," she sat up straighter and pulled the blanket away so she could scoot closer to him. His eyes finally opened, but they were blank and glassy. He reached over and brushed his fingers against her forehead, smiling faintly.

"Feels like your fever's gone down," he murmured, and she reached up to take his hand in hers.

"What about you, Wyatt? Where were you all day?"

"Feel like I've been run to the edge of creation and back," he muttered, letting his eyes fall closed again. "X-rays showed that my hand wasn't set right, and they took a CT scan too; found out that the guy in the emergency room missed a break in my wrist. That's why it's been hurtin' so much. Had to get right in to talk to another doc, they've scheduled me for surgery next week to set everything right."

"Next week?" Her grip tightened nervously on his hand.

"I've already gone a month like this, Deege," his eyes opened again and regarded her seriously. "They're already gonna have to re-break everything because none of it is healing right. They don't want to go much longer than they have to. Only reason why they're even waiting until next week is 'cause that's the earliest they could schedule it." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I met the surgeon who's gonna do the procedure, he's the best in the state. He knows what he's doing, and he says that once everything's fixed this pain will be gone. When it's all healed I'll have full use of my hand again."

The look on DG's face told him she wasn't completely convinced, and Cain sighed before motioning her toward him. "Come here, darlin'."

She scooted closer and sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. "What's got you so worried, sweetheart?"

"I'm just tired of all this," she admitted. "I don't want to be sick anymore, and I don't want either of us to be hurt anymore." She shifted slightly so that her arm wasn't squished under her. "When I finally got better after the Fangpox I was hoping that we would just have time to be together. I didn't think we'd spend that time at another hospital or waiting for me to get better all over again."

Cain chuckled tiredly, holding her closer.

"We've just hit a couple roadblocks, darlin', that's all. Neither of us are in any real danger, and when we're past these two little things we'll have all the time in the world just to be together." He kissed her forehead before letting his head fall back against the couch, keeping the crown of her head tucked under his chin. "Don't you worry anymore, alright? Everything's gonna be fine."

* * *

**Day 67**

"That's a good look for you, Wyatt," DG chuckled, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. Cain glared half-heartedly at her, but she could see the pain in his eyes, and she sighed. Since he would be put under during his surgery, he hadn't been able to eat anything or take his meds this morning, and the pain in his hand had come back full-force. Not only that, but she knew he hated for her to see him so vulnerable. Since he had told her that he'd never had to have surgery before, at least not in this sense, she doubted that he had ever felt as vulnerable as he did now. "Do you need some help with the back?"

"Please."

She put the doorstop down and slowly walked up to him, and he turned slightly in the uncomfortable plastic chair so she could reach the ties in the back of his hospital gown. She surreptitiously glanced at the faint needle-scratches between his shoulder blades where Ari had tested him for allergic reactions the day before, but quickly tied the gown and helped him shrug into the robe the hospital had given him. Her hands rubbed over his shoulders, then she leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

_Liar_, she thought. He didn't react to that, but she didn't dwell on it. She knew he had a lot on his mind.

"Nervous?"

"A little."

_Thought so._ Again, the Tin Man continued to stare blankly at the wall, and DG sighed.

"Come on, let's get you back to bed. There are still a few forms to fill out and I need your help."

She helped him stand, taking up the plastic bag that held his clothes, and their hands immediately found each other as they made their way back to the crowded waiting area. They both grinned somewhat indulgently as a little girl in a bright yellow hospital gown toddled past them, holding her mother's hand and trailing a large bunch of balloons. Joanna was sitting near Cain's bed, glancing over the forms the nurse had given them to fill out.

"You know," the android mused quietly once DG had helped Cain lie down and pulled the curtains closed around their small section of the room. "If you're going to spend any long period of time here, we'll have to get Cain and Raw social security numbers and birth certificates. Otherwise, we won't be able to prove that they exist."

Wyatt and DG exchanged a look, and the Tin Man reached up to rub his eyes.

"Joanna, you weren't, by chance, programmed to speak in Underlandian logic, were you?"

"Only when it makes sense. For the record, that whole thing about ravens and writing desks is completely beyond even my ability to reason."

"She's right, though," DG admitted. "We'll have to figure out how to make Raw look believable for this side, but once you're up and moving again in a few days we'll have to go out and create your identities."

"Might wanna ask the Furball about that first, kiddo," Cain sighed. "Viewers are very secretive. When one's away from their pride that Viewer will usually stay in hiding anyway; Raw might be just fine staying near the farmhouse. Once the harvest is in we won't have to worry about anyone else, so he'll have the whole farm to walk around."

DG chuckled quietly, taking Cain's hand back in hers.

"We're kind of his adopted pride, anyway, aren't we?"

The Tin Man grinned, squeezing her hand.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"DG, did you want to read this one to him, or should I?"

The young woman turned to read the form Joanna was holding out to her, and her grin quickly disappeared.

"Why is that one in there? This is just a routine surgery; he's not going to be in that much danger is he?"

"It's standard for any surgery, DG, and it's something that they need to know. Some hospitals won't even perform surgeries unless this one is signed."

Cain frowned as DG's hand tightened on his, and he looked past his fiancée to the nurture unit.

"Joanna, what is it?"

"They want to know if, should something go wrong during the procedure, you would want them to take heroic measures to keep you alive." At the blank look on the Tin Man's face, the android sighed. "Things are a little different here than in the O.Z., Cain. There, they take whatever measure they can to keep people alive if something goes wrong. All they have against them there is time; if a person doesn't significantly improve after a certain amount of time they won't try any more. Here, patients or their guardians can ask that they be kept alive, regardless of whether they improve or not."

DG was somewhat taken aback by the idea, unable to keep herself from considering how it related to her situation in Farthin. Cain was silent for a moment as well, having never thought that he would have a choice.

"Yes," he finally decided. "I want them to try."

Joanna nodded and marked the form.

"'Should heroic measures fail,'" she read slowly. "'Do you give your permission for any viable tissues and/or organs to be harvested for use in procedures with matching recipients, including but not limited to: skin, bone, lungs . . . .'"

"What?" Cain's eyebrows shot up his forehead as he cut Joanna off, and he stared at DG in alarm. "What does that mean?"

DG bit her lip nervously; it hadn't even occurred to her that they might not have organ donation in the O.Z.

"They want to know if you want to be an organ donor, Wyatt. That means if something happens and you're not likely to make it, they would take things from your body and give them to other people who need them."

The Tin Man still looked completely bewildered by the idea, and DG briefly thought the look on his face would have been funny if she didn't know why he was so shocked.

"Like what?" he finally stammered. "What would they do?"

She had to think about that for a long moment.

"Well," she started slowly. "If someone was in an accident, and they broke a bone really badly, if they were a match to you doctors could take a piece of your bone from the same spot in you and use it to fix the other person's injury. Or if someone's heart didn't work right, if you were a match they might get your heart."

Cain was watching her carefully, and his look of shock slowly diminished into one of curiosity.

"It happened to you, didn't it?"

DG hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

"Do you remember when I told you about the motorcycle accident I was in?"

"Yeah."

"I broke my leg in three places, and had road burn all down my side. There was a girl my age from another state who had died in an accident the week before. She was a match, and I got parts of her bones and her skin to help me heal."

Cain looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.

"That's alright too, Joanna," he said.

The android nodded, signing the bottom of the form and slowly standing up.

"I'll go bring this to the charge nurse. They'll probably be getting things going soon."

DG and Cain watched as Joanna disappeared behind the curtain, their hands finding each other again as they sat in silence and listened to the quiet murmurs from the rest of the room.

"I'm sorry about that Wyatt; it completely slipped my mind that something like that could come up."

"Don't worry about it, darlin'. The idea kind of caught me by surprise, but I think it makes sense," his thumb brushed over her knuckles. "It's not like we'll have to worry about it anyway, right?"

"You're rambling, Tin Man," the young woman pointed out, a small note of humor in her voice. "You only ramble when you're nervous."

"I'm not rambling."

"Speaking your thoughts out loud in an attempt to make me feel better about it? Voicing the obvious? That counts as rambling." She reached up and combed her fingers through his hair, her thumb grazing over his temple. "It's okay to be scared," she murmured. "I don't think any less of you for it."

"Thanks, Deege," he sighed, turning his head into her palm before resting back against the pillows.

The two of them sat that way for several long minutes before Joanna reappeared, her eyes twinkling and a small mischievous grin crossing her face.

"Brace yourselves," she advised, and they could tell by the tone of her voice that she was trying not to laugh. "Wyatt's caused quite a stir among the nurses; they've been fighting with each other as to whose turn it is to take over the care of the cute guy." At the expression that masked Cain's face, she did laugh. "That would be you, Wyatt, and you'll never believe who got the luck of the draw this time."

Wyatt and DG barely had time to react before the curtain was pulled back and a woman who DG could only describe as Barbie's closest living relative strutted in.

"Hi! I'm Lolly!" she greeted them cheerfully, but DG could see that the nurse's big blue eyes were fixed squarely on the Tin Man. The princess covered her mouth in an attempt to keep from laughing out loud at Cain's expression, but she shot a glance at Joanna that clearly said '_Lolly?'_ The nurture unit was having a hard time keeping a straight face as well, and tears were coming very close to streaming down her face. "I'll be your nurse here in the waiting room and in recovery. Can you please give me your name and date of birth?"

"Um," Cain took a minute to clear his throat, and DG could see the edges of his ears turn a faint shade of pink. "Wyatt Cain, February twenty-third, nineteen seventy-seven."

"Very good, you are who we think you are! Now, let's check those vital signs, shall we?"

Lolly didn't even notice DG and Joanna convulsing with silent laughter as she practically draped herself over Cain while checking his temperature and blood pressure, though the Tin Man sent his fiancée more than one traitorous glance during the whole process. DG didn't know which was funnier: the dark blush that was slowly spreading across his face, the fact that he was blushing, or that the nurse was talking to him as though he was two years old.

"Alrighty. Now it says that a DG Gale is your next of kin," she finally turned to face DG for a moment before looking back at Cain. "Is she your daughter?"

The princess snorted loudly, quickly covering it with a very fake-sounding cough. Lolly, however, didn't seem to notice; DG could practically see the wheels turning in the overly-cheery blonde's otherwise hollow head.

Cain, it seemed, had been struck speechless, and DG recovered enough to finally talk.

"Actually, I'm his fiancée," she said, reveling in the blank stare she was rewarded with.

Lolly blinked her huge eyes for a moment, her smile wavering slightly.

"Well," she finally said. "Everything looks good here. I'll let the doctors know. I'll see you all later when Mr. Cain's in recovery."

She slowly turned and walked out, pulling the curtain closed with a bit more of a flourish than was really necessary.

"Well, that was the most entertaining thing I've seen in a long time," Joanna admitted, taking off her glasses and wiping her eyes. "Kind of makes me wish that Father Vue was here to capture it. Oh well; that's going into long-term memory storage, I think." She stood up again, gathering her jacket and purse and the bag of Cain's belongings. "I'm going out to the waiting room. I'll see you both later."

"Okay."

"See you in a little bit, Joanna."

Left alone again for the time being, DG's hand automatically found Cain's.

"I don't suppose I could still change my mind, could I?" Wyatt grumbled wearily.

"Why? Because of Lolly?" DG grinned. "Didn't you like her?"

"Deege . . . ."

"I'm sure she's harmless. She won't try to sink her claws into you now that she knows you're taken. Besides, once you're out of recovery and in your own room you'll have a different nurse, and we'll get you home tomorrow." She paused, watching Cain carefully for a moment. "It's just so different, isn't it?" she asked quietly. "Being here instead of back in the O.Z?" When he nodded she squeezed his hand reassuringly, her thumb rubbing over his knuckles. "It was the same for me, when we were in Farthin. Some of the things I remember were just so similar to how they are here, and some things were really different. It made it hard to be there because I couldn't always look past that it wasn't Kansas."

Cain frowned slightly, his grip tightening slightly around DG's hand.

"I guess I'm worried, too," he admitted. "About this," he shifted his right arm in the sling. "About bein' away from Jeb. About not being able to be home and not knowin' what's going on back in the Zone."

"You worry too much, Tin Man," DG grinned, albeit a little sadly. "Today will be over before you know it, and tomorrow we'll be back at the farmhouse and you can get back to healing right."

A tight smile crossed Wyatt's face.

"Thanks, Deege," he murmured.

They both turned at the sound of voices just beyond the curtain, and Cain recognized the tone of his doctor's voice. A moment later, the curtains were pulled aside and DG finally caught a glimpse of the surgeon. He was an older man, already his dark hair was graying where she could see it under the cloth surgical cap he wore, but his eyes were bright and he exuded an energy that she only would have expected from a man half his age.

"Wyatt, good to see you again."

"Hey doc," the Tin Man greeted him tiredly.

"And this must be . . .DG?" the surgeon glanced at Wyatt's file for a moment before smiling at the young woman and offering her a handshake. "It's nice to meet you; I'm Wayne Stinson, the Orthopedic Surgeon here at Sacred Willow."

"Nice to meet you, Doctor Stinson."

The surgeon pulled up the chair that Joanna had been sitting in, pulling an x-ray out of the file folder he held.

"Alright, Wyatt, here's what we're going to be doing today. First things first, after we set up the heart and blood pressure monitors and start you on the nitrous oxide, we'll be getting your arm out of that cast. Chances are that you'll still be awake, if not a little loopy, when we break it open. It is a little disturbing, we use an electric saw to cut it open on two sides, but just make sure you hold still while we're getting that taken care of. Once we've started an I.V. and you've gone under, we'll start on your hand. I won't go into the details of that, because there is a fair bit of work that needs to be done, but you'll be out the whole time so you won't feel or remember a thing. However, considering everything that needs to be done, you can expect there to be some pain when you wake up. To fix your wrist, we'll be taking a small core of bone from your hip and using that to keep the bones in place, so you'll feel a little pain in your leg as well. When you're in recovery, don't be afraid to ask for medication if you need it. When you wake up, you'll have a new cast on and things should heal just as if they had been set right in the first place. We'll want to keep you overnight for observation, but you can plan on going home tomorrow morning." He glanced at both of them quickly. "Do either of you have any questions about what we're doing today?"

They both shook their heads, and he nodded and stood up. "Then I'll send the orderlies in to get you, and we'll get this wheel rolling. Wyatt, I'll see you in a few minutes. DG, will you be out in the waiting room?"

"Yeah."

"Then when we're done I'll come out to find you and show you to the recovery room," he nodded to both of them again and quickly left.

DG frowned slightly, letting her thoughts roll around in her head for a moment before Cain's quiet sigh brought her attention back to him. Wyatt had rested back against his pillow, his eyes closed and his hand clutching hers. She could feel him shaking slightly, giving away just how nervous he really was. She awkwardly wrapped her other hand around his, leaning over to kiss his temple.

"Will you be alright for a moment?"

His eyes opened to stare at her, silently asking her why she had to leave. "I won't be gone a minute. I promise I'll be back before they come to get you."

His eyes searched hers for another second before he nodded slightly, and she kissed his temple again before swiftly standing and dashing out into the waiting area.

She had to look around briefly before she spotted the doctor talking to an orderly near the registration desk, and she ran up to try to catch him.

"Doctor Stinson?"

He glanced at her over the top of his glasses.

"DG, how can I help you?" he asked, his voice friendly though he had to turn back to study the file in his hand.

"Wyatt is really nervous about this; more so than he's even telling me."

At this, the older man turned back to her, his forehead creasing slightly in surprise. "I know that people react differently to laughing gas, and I'm worried that if he's this nervous he may start acting out. He's never had surgery before, and I don't know how he'll react when things are so unfamiliar to him."

"It is possible. Nitrous oxide lowers a person's inhibitions and makes them less aware of their actions."

"If he does start overreacting, could you send someone to get me? I know when patients have really bad reactions it's more common to call off the surgery altogether, but he really needs this and I think if I was there he might be able to calm down."

Stinson regarded her for another moment, and finally nodded.

"I think I can do that. It's not an allowance that we like to make often, but I agree with you that Wyatt does need to have this surgery done. I'll send someone to get you if we need you there."

"Thanks Doctor Stinson," she said gratefully, but as she turned away the only answer she received was a faint hum as the doctor turned back to his file. She caught a glance of a small group of orderlies making their way down the hallway, and she hurried back to Wyatt.

"Everything alright?" the Tin Man asked quietly as she sat back down.

"Yeah, everything's fine," she replied, taking his hand back in hers. "Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah," he sighed, though his hand tightened on hers.

"Liar," she chuckled, switching hands so she could reach over and comb her fingers through his hair. "Just keep your eyes closed and focus on calming down." She could hear a voice at the other end of the room directing someone to where they were, and a few minutes later the curtain was pulled aside to reveal the four orderlies she had seen in the hallway.

Wyatt's eyes opened slightly to regard the four men for a moment before he turned to look at her, a nervous grin crossing his face.

"Alright," he said unnecessarily, giving her hand another squeeze.

"Don't worry, Wyatt," she murmured, both to reassure him and herself. "Everything's going to be fine. I'll see you again before you know it."

He reached up and brushed his thumb across her cheek, suddenly leaning over and planting a quick kiss on her lips. DG felt herself blush slightly at the Tin Man's public display of affection, but aside from the quiet laughter from the four orderlies she wasn't really complaining.

"I love you, Deege," he whispered.

"I love you too, Wyatt," she replied, stepping aside so the orderlies could raise the sides of his bed and unlock the brakes. She watched as they slowly wheeled him out of the room, waiting until they disappeared around a corner before sighing quietly and gathering up her jacket and duffel bag to go find Joanna in the waiting room.

* * *

"What'cha drawing?"

DG looked up from her sketchbook to find a young boy of about seven years old watching her with big brown eyes. She glanced back down at the page, grinning slightly as she tried to figure out how to explain this one.

"You want to see it? I only just started it, but a second opinion never hurts."

The boy nodded, and DG patted the chair next to her, inviting him to sit down and join her. He climbed into the chair eagerly, grinning as she turned her sketchbook so he could see.

"Is that a scarecrow?" he asked, lisping slightly, pointing to one of the small figures she had drawn.

"Yup."

"And a lion? And a . . . ." he looked closer for a minute. "Is it a robot?"

"Close. He's a man made out of tin. But he's more human than robot."

"Who is she?" the little boy asked, pointing to the fourth person in the drawing.

"Her name's Dorothy. She's lost in their world, and they're trying to help her get to a place called the Emerald City. A wizard lives there, and she needs his help to find her way home."

The boy grinned, and DG could see that his top two front teeth were missing. _Well,_ she thought, _that explains the lisp._

"Cool. Do the scarecrow, lion, and tin man need anything from the wizard?"

"They sure do. The scarecrow needs a brain, the tin man needs a heart, and the lion is a cowardly lion, so he needs the wizard to give him some courage."

"And the wizard is going to give it to them, right?"

"He will, but first he's going to send them on an adventure to defeat a wicked witch. They have to travel all over the kingdom, and they meet lots of new friends and weird creatures."

"What's the name of the kingdom?"

"The Land of Oz."

"Oz," he murmured to himself, as though trying out the name. "I like it. What's your name?"

"DG."

"Why are you here?"

"My friend is having surgery today, and I'm just waiting until they're done so I can go see him."

"_Him?_" the boy giggled, and DG grinned; she knew _exactly_ where he was going. "Is he your _boyfriend_?"

"As a matter of fact, he _is_ my boyfriend." She tried to keep her voice serious. "Why? Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"A girlfriend?" he wrinkled his nose. "No! Girls are gross! Well," he suddenly looked thoughtful. "Except my mom. And you. You're cool."

"Thanks," she chuckled, reaching into her duffel bag and pulling out a spiral-bound sketchbook. "Do you want to draw something?"

"Can I?" his gap-toothed grin spread wider, if that were possible, and his eyes lit up like he had been offered an early Christmas present.

"Sure. You can draw it in here, and when you're done you can rip it out and take it home with you." She pulled out her box of colored pencils and balanced it on the arms of their chairs. "Go crazy."

"But what should I draw?"

"What would you like to draw?"

He thought about that, frowning slightly.

"Can I draw something from Oz?"

"Definitely. Think up something and draw it, and you can help me create the story."

"Frank! Frankie! Franklin Lyman Baum, where are you?"

"Uh oh," the boy whispered, sinking down in his chair. "That's my mom."

DG turned and spotted a tall woman frantically searching the large waiting room. She looked to be in her thirties, not that DG had ever been especially skilled in guessing people's ages, and she had a toddler balanced on one hip.

"You better let her know where you are, Frankie, or both of us could get in trouble."

Frankie stared up at her for a moment before sighing and sitting up straighter.

"I'm right here, mom."

"Frankie, I thought I told you not to go too far. And you know better than to bother strangers in the waiting room."

"It's okay, Mrs. Baum," DG interjected quickly. "Frankie saw that I was drawing, and he was curious about what I was working on. He's not bothering me."

"DG's letting me use her colored pencils to draw too, mom!"

"Well," the older woman frowned, but finally nodded her head. "As long as you don't mind, I think it's okay if he stays." She regarded DG for a moment, finally stepping closer and offering her hand. "I'm Leslie Baum."

"DG Gale. Frankie's fine, I'll make sure that he comes right back to you when he's done drawing."

"Alright, we're camped out at the other side of the room, Frankie knows where. Sweety?" she turned to her son, crouching down to look him in the eye. "You stay here with DG, alright? If she has to leave, make sure you come right back to me, alright?"

"Yes, momma," Leslie stood back up, sharing a quick grin with DG, and made her way back to the other side of the waiting room. "My big sister is having surgery today. She's having an appendet . . .appendent . . . ."

"Appendectomy?"

"Yeah. She was scared when I saw her earlier."

"My boyfriend was nervous, too. But they'll be fine, neither of their surgeries is really all that serious," she glanced at Frankie, but her gaze suddenly caught the movement of a figure in pale green scrubs just beyond his shoulder. The nurse that was standing in the doorway to the waiting room called out her name almost in the same second that DG got the feeling that something was wrong. She bit her lip, closing her sketchbook with a slam that made the boy jump in surprise. "Frankie, listen to me. I have to leave for a little bit, but you can take my colored pencils and go sit with your mom, okay? And if you have to leave, you can leave my stuff here near my duffel bag. My friend Joanna will be right back, she's an older woman wearing a green dress, and she'll keep an eye on my stuff until I get back, okay?"

The little boy seemed to sense the urgency in her voice, and nodded quickly as DG put the lid back on her box of colored pencils. She practically jumped out of her seat, and Frankie watched her talk to the nurse for a moment before they both disappeared out the door.

* * *

DG glanced at her watch as she followed the nurse. It had barely even been fifteen minutes since she had last seen Wyatt. Frightening scenarios flickered through her mind, but she pushed them away as best she could as the nurse led her into a small room and helped her put a surgical gown on over her clothes.

"Over here, DG," the other woman led her into the operating room, directing her to a metal stool at the head of the operating table. As DG sat down, the nurse leaned over to speak to her. "You can talk to him; he's only had the nitrous oxide. But the second we started up the saw to cut off his cast he started panicking. We almost had to restrain him, but Doctor Stinson sent me to find you."

"Thank you," DG said gratefully. She pulled the stool closer and turned so Cain could see her right-side up. "Wyatt?" she murmured, going to comb her fingers through his hair but hesitating briefly before the nurse nodded to let her know it was alright. Wyatt eyes were glazed over slightly in his stupor, but she could see a goofy grin cross his face through the plastic mask that was providing the laughing gas.

"Prettiest nurse in the place, and she's the one that's taken," he muttered, oblivious of the good-natured chuckles that came from near his right arm.

"I think I could be convinced to leave my guy if the terms are right," DG responded to the lighthearted banter without really thinking about it. Now that she knew that Wyatt was, for the most part, alright, she could feel herself relaxing. "But what's this I hear about you not cooperating with the doctors?"

"Don't care for what they're doin', don't really care for bein' here, I'm about ready to hightail it and head home." Even as he was saying this, his good arm came up and moved as though he was about to sit up. Nearly everybody in the room moved to hold him down.

"No, Wyatt, you have to stay where you are," she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Wyatt, look at me."

It took him a moment to finally look her in the eye. "I know you're nervous," she murmured soothingly. "But if you want to be able to use your hand again, this needs to be done. Do you remember why you're here? Do you remember how hard it's been for you these past few weeks?" She brushed her thumb over his temple. "All they need to do right now is take off your cast. It's not going to hurt, but you need to hold still and let them do their job. Can you let them do that?"

He stared at her for a long moment, but finally nodded. DG nodded at the doctors as she wheeled the stool around to the other side of the table so she could take his other hand in hers. The squeal of an electric wheel saw suddenly filled the room, and Wyatt twitched at the noise. When he tried to turn toward the sound, DG held him still. "Look at me, Wyatt; try not to focus on the noise."

"A little bit of pressure, Wyatt," Doctor Stinson said over the saw, and the Tin Man twitched again as the saw bit into the plaster cast and the sound evolved into a screech.

DG watched them cut through Wyatt's cast out of the corner of her eye, but when he shifted uncomfortably she focused back on him.

"Why is it warming up?" he asked drowsily, blinking in confusion as his forehead furrowed.

"It's just from the friction. They're almost done."

The screeching lasted for another minute or so before it finally stopped, and Wyatt slowly relaxed. A loud _crack_ made both the princess at the Tin Man jump, and when DG looked up again they were carefully removing the two pieces of the cast from Wyatt's arm.

"Where do you want the I.V. placed, Doctor?" one of the nurses asked, wheeling a small tray forward.

"You can ask him," Stinson replied, nodding at Wyatt. "He might want to hold a hand when you're putting it in, most people do."

The nurse looked questioningly at DG, and she nodded.

"Wyatt?" she murmured, her thumb grazing over his temple. When his eyes focused on her, she smiled comfortingly. "They need to put an I.V. in. Do you need to hold my hand?"

"I think I'm kinda runnin' out of arms, darlin'," he chuckled goofily. "Where would they put it?"

"Probably in your foot."

"Does it hurt? When they put one in?"

"It doesn't feel great, but your pain tolerance is higher than mine to begin with."

Wyatt thought about that for a moment, his eyes starting to drift close already.

"Think I'd like you to stay right where you are."

The nurse standing nearby nodded, pushing the small cart down to the other end of the table.

"You're such a softy, Wyatt," DG laughed quietly, adjusting her grip on his hand and letting her other hand brush through his hair.

"What can I say? I'm not made out of tin, despite what some people think," he chuckled again, but DG could tell that the laughing gas was slowly wearing him down. She didn't think he'd be awake much longer once the I.V. was in. Wyatt shuddered slightly, and DG glanced down to the other end of the table. The nurse had pulled the blanket away from his foot and tied a rubber tourniquet around his ankle, and two other nurses had come over to hold his leg still.

"It's okay; they're not doing anything yet." Her fingers continued to comb through his hair. "Just relax, Wyatt, you have to hold still. Remember, if you have to move anything, it has to be this arm. Squeeze my hand if you need to, but your other arm can't move."

"Can't squeeze your hand too hard, might break it, and this wrist is already broken. Then where would you be?" he glared tiredly at her. "Nope, can't have that."

"Here," she said quietly, moving his hand so that it was gripping the part of her cast that went around her hand, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Now you don't have to worry about it."

"Now what didn't I think of that?" he muttered, staring at her cast as though it could provide him with the answer. One eyebrow rose on his forehead, and he gave her what would have been a shrewd and calculating look if he hadn't been flying higher than a jetliner. "Why do I feel like we've done this before?"

"We have, but our roles were switched. I was the one getting an I.V.; you were the one telling me to hold still." Cain twitched again, and when DG glanced over she saw that the nurse was just about ready. "Okay, Wyatt, they're almost ready." Her free hand brushed up and down his arm, but she frowned slightly. "You're still shaking," she murmured, kissing his knuckles. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath."

"Alright, Wyatt, hold still," the nurse said, and a brief second later Cain's grip tightened on DG's hand, his eyes squeezing shut as he fought to stay put. DG went back to combing her fingers through his hair and, as he had done for her, rested her forehead on his. She felt him take in a shaking breath.

"You're alright, Wyatt," she murmured. "Not much longer."

"I.V. is in, Doctor," the nurse finally said.

"Good, start the fentanyl and broad-range antibiotics. Wyatt, you still with us?"

DG leaned back so Cain could answer, though he was so dazed it didn't seem like he had even heard the doctor.

"DG? How is he doing?"

"He's awake, but he looks like he's about to fall asleep."

"Yeah, doc, I'm still here," the Tin Man finally replied.

"Good to know, Wyatt, we weren't sure there for a moment. I'm going to have you count slowly backwards from twenty, but if you feel tired and need to fall asleep before you get to the end you can go ahead."

Cain took another moment to think about that, blinking tiredly before Stinson's directions seemed to register.

"Twenty . . . nineteen . . . eighteen . . . seventeen," his eyelids started to droop, but he seemed to be fighting falling asleep. "Deege?"

"Yeah, Wyatt?"

"Love you."

DG chuckled, and from the corner of her eye she could see the entire surgical team shaking their heads as they tried not to laugh.

"Love you too, Wyatt. Come on, keep counting, you stopped at seventeen."

"Sixteen . . . fifteen . . . fourteen . . . thirteen . . . . . twelve . . . . . . eleven." His eyes came close to falling entirely closed, but he shook his head drowsily and forced his eyes to open ridiculously wide.

"Wyatt, don't fight it. Everything's going to be fine, I promise." His bleary gaze met hers, recognition flickering only faintly through them. "I promise," she whispered again. "You're going to be fine."

Wyatt swallowed, blinking slowly.

"What number?"

"Ten. You were at ten."

"Ten . . . . . . nine . . . . . ." Even as DG watched, she could see his entire body relax as the anesthesia took hold. "Eight . . . . . . . seven . . . . . . . six . . . . . . . . five . . . . . . . . four . . . . . . . . .three . . . . . . . . .two . . . . . . . . . ."


	16. Chapter 16: In Daylights, In Sunsets

**AN: So, that last chapter I was writing was starting to get REEAALLY long, and I decided it would make it easier to read if I split it up into a couple chapters. Here's the second-to-last chapter, to tide you over until the OFFICIAL last chapter is finally done. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize anything, it doesn't belong to me. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.**

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**Ch 16: In Daylights**

" . . . . blood oxygen level is a little low, and he has a low-grade fever, but his blood pressure is good and the surgery went as well as we could have hoped for."

The voice trickled into his awareness slowly, an unfamiliar male's voice, but it was warped and distant as though the speaker was far away. "We're keeping him on a steady stream of pain medication and antibiotics for now, as well as oxygen to bring the level in his blood up. Once he's been awake for a while we'll start easing up on the meds to see how he does."

Soft footsteps rushed forward, and there was suddenly a hand in his and a thumb brushing over his knuckles.

"Why is he shivering?"

"It's a side effect of the anesthesia and the low heart rate during the surgery. We're getting a warmed blanket for him, and ordered an electric blanket for his room. He should be waking up soon, but he'll be groggy for another couple of hours at least. Once he does wake up, we'll keep him here for about half an hour before bringing him upstairs. We want to keep an eye on him and watch out for any other side effects he may show, but if he feels sick or dizzy don't worry too much, it's fairly common for people to feel disoriented after a long surgery. Go ahead and sit with him, and I'll come by to check his vitals again before we bring him to a room."

"Okay, thanks."

Something was set down nearby, followed by the sound of a chair being pulled closer, and another hand rested on his forehead. He turned into the touch, and DG's fingers started combing through his hair. "Wyatt?"

"Here," a new voice murmured, followed by a light, warm weight settling over him. "This will help with the shivering."

"Thanks." DG's hand left his for a moment, and the blanket shifted over him slightly before her gentle touch returned. "Wyatt?" He could hear her moving next to him, and when it felt like she was going to let go of his hand again he tightened his grip as much as he could. She might not have been going anywhere, but he just wanted to make sure she didn't. "Come on, Tin Man," she chuckled. "I know you're starting to wake up."

DG watched as Cain's eyes slowly opened, his eyelids drooping slightly. His gaze fell on her, a tired grin crossing his face. "Hey," she murmured, smiling back.

"Hey," he whispered hoarsely. He looked around for a moment, his stare blank and unfocused, and his face creased slightly. "Where are we?"

"The recovery room, we'll be here for a little longer before they take you up to a room." His eyes fell closed again, and DG sighed. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck, and kinda tired," he muttered. "Feels like I'm standing too high off the ground; my vision's all blurry." He looked up at her. "How did it go?"

"Everything went fine. The surgery took a little longer than they thought it would, but everything's set right and things should heal the way they're supposed to."

Cain tried to lift his head, and DG supported him behind the neck so he could see his arm, propped up on a large foam block, and the partial cast and wide elastic bandage that covered his entire forearm up to his elbow. He frowned, blinking drowsily.

"That looks different than my other cast did."

"You have stitches in your hand. They'll need to be able to take your cast off to remove them in a couple weeks."

Cain lied back down, and DG's fingers continued to comb through his hair.

"Why'd it take longer?" he murmured.

"I don't know, Wyatt; all I know is what the nurse told me. Doctor Stinson will probably tell us when we see him later, but for right now I'm just glad that it went alright." She leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Yeah," his voice trailed off, reaching up to rub at his eyes though he looked like he was about to nod off again. "So . . . ."

"So . . . ?" she echoed, her eyebrows rising slightly.

"Was I as daffy on that laughing gas as I think I was?"

She chuckled, a smile of relief crossing her face.

"Yeah, kind of. Your emotions hit just about every point on the spectrum."

"That bad, huh?"

"Let's just say that the surgical team had a couple good laughs at your expense."

Cain groaned good-naturedly, rubbing his eyes again.

"Fantastic."

She watched him carefully for a moment.

"Are you feeling any better?"

His gaze met hers, and he stayed silent for a moment.

"I feel better about this; I'm glad it's over and done with." He turned into her touch as her thumb grazed over his temple, his eyes falling closed. "But I still wish we were back home; I miss Jeb, and I'm nervous that somethin's going on."

"We can go home soon, Wyatt. Once you're back on your feet we can hop the first storm out of here."

His eyes opened again, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Will you be ready to go back that soon?"

DG frowned, unsure of what she should say.

"I want you to be happy, Wyatt. I know you miss Jeb, and how worried you are about him; the sooner we go back to the Zone the sooner you can see him again."

"I want you to be happy too, darlin'," he murmured, and slowly reached up with his good hand to frame her face. "Jeb's my son; of course I'm worried about him. I want him to be safe. But he's a smart kid, knows how to get out of just about any sticky situation he may find himself in. I'm not as worried about him as much as I'm worried about you should we go back before you're ready."

"Wyatt . . . ."

"I know things have been hard for you in the Zone, even before you got sick. I've been here long enough to see how different things are, and what you had to get used to when you slipped over. Ever since you got better I've seen how much happier you are here. I don't want to take that away from you," his thumb brushed over her cheek. "We don't have to go back until you're ready, darlin'."

"Wyatt, I don't know how long that's going to be. Are you sure you can wait?"

"I'm sure. I don't want you to feel like we have to rush to be anywhere; we'll go back when we're both good and ready."

* * *

"The doctor hasn't come by to see us yet, but the nurse says it'll be a little longer before they can decide whether Wyatt can be discharged tomorrow or if he has to stay another day. He's been sleeping since we brought him to his room."

An unfamiliar tile ceiling slowly came into focus, and Wyatt frowned as his mind struggled to catch up. He only vaguely remembered being wheeled through the hospital corridors after leaving the recovery room; he had still been too groggy from the anesthesia for much of anything to register. "If you could pick up some more comfortable clothes for him to change into, that would be great. I'm not sure what size he would wear," DG chuckled quietly, and when he turned to look for her she was standing in front of the giant picture window that opened up to a bright blue sky. A long cord connected her to the wall near the window, and he raised his eyebrow in confusion until he saw the phone she had cradled against her shoulder. "Just look at the clothes he brought with him and make a guess. Ask your mom, she's a robot; that sort of calculation shouldn't be so hard for her."

A pink blush suddenly bloomed across her face, and she buried her eyes in her hand. "Yeah, I guess those would be useful, too. We'd have to get them for him anyway, since it looks like we'll be here for the long haul and he'll need a supply of clothes that look normal for this side of the rainbow." She paused, listening to who he figured was Ari speaking at the other end. "Well, if you're that embarrassed about it, ask Carter or Gulch for help, I don't think they have the ability to blush . . . no, I didn't mean ask them if Cain could borrow _theirs_! Ask them to go buy them!" She growled. "Alright, you know what? I'm going to hang up now. You can take your twisted little mind and go do something useful on your day off. I'll call you later when we know more of what's going on. Bye." She sighed as she placed the phone back in its cradle, shaking her head. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that she's the older one," she muttered to herself.

"Deege?" he murmured, wondering why his throat hurt more than it did before.

DG turned from the window, a small grin crossing her face.

"Hey Wyatt," she slowly crossed the room and sat down on the edge of his bed, her hand immediately finding his. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up."

"How long was I asleep?"

"About seven hours. Your nurse said to let you rest so you could sleep off the effects of the anesthesia." She watched him for a moment. "Are you still feeling dizzy?"

"Not really," he shifted his arm uncomfortably. "Mouth's just a little dry, and my hand's startin' to hurt."

"Someone should be coming in soon to check on you, we can ask about getting you something to drink, but I think they'll want you to wait a while longer before you try to eat anything." She glanced around for a second before reaching across Wyatt to lift up a bright red button by its cord and placed it in his good hand. "If you need any pain meds you can just click this. It's attached to your I.V., so you can control how much painkiller you get."

"That's clever," he muttered, but he let the button fall from his grasp and rest on the bed by his hand. "I can wait a while, though. It's not too bad yet."

"You don't have to; it'll only let you take a certain amount of medication every hour anyway."

"I figured it would do somethin' like that, but I still want to wait." He rubbed his eyes, and finally met her gaze. "I don't like that Vicodin stuff Ari had me on; I didn't feel like I had any control over how I acted. I want to stay as far from that feelin' as I can."

"I understand; just don't feel that it has to get a lot worse before you take something for it, okay? You know how I feel about you having to hurt."

Wyatt chuckled quietly.

"Yeah, I know." He regarded her for a minute, frowning slightly, and reached up to brush his thumb across her cheek. "You look exhausted, darlin', didn't you get any sleep last night?"

"Not really, I think I was more nervous about this than you were."

"I was wonderin' about that," he chuckled again, scooting over as much as he could and patting the bed. "Come and lie down with me."

DG hesitated for a moment, but kicked off her sneakers and curled up against Cain's side, resting her head on his shoulder and draping her arm over him. "Typical that even when I'm the one in the hospital I'm still takin' care of you," he teased quietly, kissing her forehead.

"That's your problem, not mine," she murmured. "I told you I wouldn't be going anywhere if you stopped running yourself ragged over my health."

"And yet here you are worrying yourself sleepless over mine. What gives you the faintest idea that I'm leavin' any time soon?"

The young woman didn't respond, and Wyatt craned his neck enough to see that she had dozed off. He rolled his eyes affectionately, kissing her forehead again and letting himself follow her into sleep.

* * *

"Wyatt, you know I love you, but those pain meds are messing with your brain more than we thought if you think I'm going to brush your teeth for you for the next two months. Spit," she chuckled. "The only reason I'm doing it while we're here is because you're still unsteady on your feet. I'd rather not have you fall over with a toothbrush in your mouth."

"Just thought I'd ask," Cain mused good-naturedly before dutifully opening his mouth so she could brush his back teeth.

DG grinned and put some more toothpaste on the brush, shaking her head as she pulled his chin down to reach his teeth better. Aside from a brief visit from Doctor Stinson that afternoon, the two of them had been dozing for most of the day and were now wide awake. Wyatt had been getting antsy, taking on the patience and attention span of a sugar-buzzed toddler, and after managing to keep him sitting still long enough to eat some dinner and to set his arm in a sling DG and the nurses had finally gotten him up and out of bed.

"Well, you'll have to learn to be ambidextrous. But don't worry," she nodded her head in mock seriousness. "I can still cut your food up for you. No sense in getting you home if I'm going to have to give you the Heimlich fifteen minutes later. Spit."

"Thanks, Deege," Cain rolled his eyes, rinsing his mouth out and tossing the little paper cup into the garbage. DG rinsed his toothbrush under the tap and set it by the sink, turning back to Cain to find him watching her carefully.

"What?"

A funny smile crossed the Tin Man's face, and he just shook his head. Shifting his weight to lean against the sink, he motioned her closer.

"Come here, darlin'."

She tilted her head curiously, but took a tentative step toward the Tin Man. It was almost without conscious thought that they found themselves in each other's embrace, DG tucking her head under his chin as his hand rubbed her back. She drew back after a moment, her eyes searching his nervously. She knew that she loved him more than anything, but the few memories that she had of Cain as anyone beyond who he was her first week in the O.Z. were so muddled that she wasn't even sure they were all actually memories. Their long trek through the Zone, the night they snuck away from Central City, Wyatt's stories about the Equus horses and the towns throughout the realm, and the Tin Man's proposal all felt real, and some part of her knew that they had all actually happened; but at the same time another small part of her chalked it up to being a really great Technicolor dream and still expected her to wake up at any minute just in time to be late for work. And it wasn't as though she had any experience being in a relationship; she might have attracted a lot of catcalling and oh-so-obvious leers from the boys in high school, but beyond that she hadn't exactly been the type of girl who boys had been interested in. Knowing that Cain felt that way about her, and feeling the same way toward him, threw her for a loop almost as badly as waking up and finding two suns in the sky.

Wyatt's good hand came up to gently frame her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek. "You alright, Deege?"

"Yeah," she murmured, though even to her own ears it didn't sound right. She hesitated, biting her lip, and her gaze dropped to the floor. "This still feels weird to me; I've never been in a relationship before. I don't know what to do." She reached up to fiddle with her silver engagement ring where it hung around her neck.

Cain chuckled, his hand closing around hers until they could both feel the ring pressing against their fingers.

"There's no script to follow, darlin', there's no right or wrong way to go about this." He watched her for another moment, his thumb brushing over her knuckles reassuringly. "You're pretty nervous about this, aren't you?"

DG nodded. "Deege, look at me." She finally met his gaze, and he grinned. "I don't want you to feel that we have to rush into this. When I gave you this ring and asked you to marry me, it was because I don't want to spend another day of my life without you. I might have only known you for a month, but I already loved you as though I had known you my entire life. You saying 'yes' made me happier than I had been in a long time, and that hasn't changed. I know it felt like we were moving pretty fast, but now that we're past you bein' sick and this whole thing with my arm, we can take it as slow as you need. Being with you and seeing you wear my ring is what makes me happy, and I can wait as long as it takes until you're comfortable getting married."

She didn't say anything for a moment, but hesitantly leaned up to touch her lips to his. Wyatt, still sensing how nervous DG was, only reached up to frame her face; he brushed his thumb across her cheek when she tentatively deepened the kiss, and a quiet giggle from the hallway would have sent them jumping away from each other like two guilty teenagers if Cain had been in any shape or state of mind to be jumping anywhere. As it was, DG had to nearly pull him upright again when he came close to slipping off the corner of the sink.

"It appears that we're being watched, Tin Man," she murmured, no doubt in her mind as to who the would-be spy actually was.

"Tin Man!" a surprised voice shot back at them from around the corner. "That's like from your story!"

Cain and DG exchanged a glance before the princess rolled her eyes and faced the door, a wry grin crossing her face.

"Alright, Frankie, come on out, I know it's you."

The boy had enough sense to look somewhat ashamed as he appeared from behind the wall, though DG guessed it was more due to the fact that he had been caught than that he had been spying in the first place. "Frankie, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at home and in bed?"

"Today's Friday, DG," the boy explained. "I don't have school tomorrow and my dad had to stay late at work. Momma hasn't been able to take us home because she doesn't want my sister to be here alone."

"Alright, but why aren't you with her then? The children's ward is upstairs."

"I got hungry, and the nurses said that the vending machines on this floor are better than the ones near the children's ward. One of them came down with me, but I sneaked away from her while she was talking to someone." He turned his big brown eyes toward Cain. "Are you her boyfriend?"

Wyatt was clearly caught off guard by the question, and glanced at DG somewhat frantically at this sudden face-off against a six-year-old.

"He is. Frankie, this is Wyatt. Wyatt, this is Frankie; we met in the waiting room. His sister had surgery today too."

"Nice to meet you, Frankie," Cain finally reached down to shake the boy's hand.

"You too. Why'd she call you a tin man? Are you made out of tin like the tin man that lives in Oz?"

This time the glance that Wyatt threw at DG was one of surprise, his eyebrows rising in alarm. She chuckled, her smile telling him not to worry.

"No, silly," she laughed, turning back to the boy. "But if you can keep a secret, I have something I want to tell you."

The boy's eyes grew to the size of saucers, and he nodded eagerly.

"I can keep a secret, DG! I promise I can!"

"Okay, as long as you promise," she said seriously, trying to keep a straight face. If he was anything like she was at six years old, he'd be sharing this story with everyone he ran into for the next year or two. She wasn't especially worried; no one would believe him and would just peg it as an overactive imagination. "Wyatt and I are actually from Oz."

The boy gasped, his mouth dropping open. "Do you remember those four people I told you about; the lion, the scarecrow, the tin man and Dorothy?"

"Yeah."

"They all really existed, and Dorothy is part of my family. She was my grandmother, and my name is actually Dorothy."

"Really?"

"Really; I called him a tin man because he's a police officer, and that's what we call police officers in Oz. And I have a friend who used to need a brain, just like the scarecrow, and another friend who looks like a lion, and for a long time he needed courage just like the lion did."

"Whoa . . . ." Frankie's voice trailed off in awe, but the surprised look on his face was suddenly replaced by a mix of curiosity and skepticism. He looked up at Cain, frowning. "Is that really true?"

"It sure is," Wyatt replied solemnly. "Now what do you say we go find someone who can take you back upstairs; we don't want your mother to worry about you."

"Awww," the boy pouted. "DG, do I have to?"

"Yes, Frankie, you do. This isn't like in the waiting room; you need to go back and be with your family."

"Awww," he muttered again, but turned and slouched out of the room. Cain and DG exchanged a glance, matching grins crossing their faces, and their good hands found each other as they slowly made their way after the boy.

* * *

**Day 69**

"No! No, absolutely not!"

"Wyatt," DG growled, crossing her arms. "_Why_ is this such a big deal?"

"When I leave this place, it's going to be on my own two feet; I'm not going to be wheeled out of here like some damned invalid." Cain grumbled, his good hand bunching in the sheets of his bed.

"I'm sure it'll be very entertaining for all of us to see you try to keep your balance in a moving elevator, since you're still so buzzed on those painkillers. Or maybe you'd like to stay here another day; I bet dear old Lolly would be thrilled to take over your care," the young woman bit back, frowning sarcastically. "She was so upset after Joanna secretly changed the name of your after-care nurse on your chart; I think she needs another chance to get to know you better. Shall I call her in? I'm sure we could convince her to take on twenty-four-hour shifts . . ." DG turned toward the door, fully prepared to live up to her threats. Damn this man and his pride; he could be so freaking _difficult!_

"Deege, don't you dare!"

"Who's going to stop me? You?"

"Don't tempt me."

"And how do you plan to do that, Wyatt? On your own two feet?" the question reached him just as DG disappeared around the corner, and he glared balefully at the doorway, silently calling her bluff. When several minutes passed and she still didn't return, he growled. Curse it all. He wasn't trying to be so obstinate; it was just his pride getting in the way and this damned need to get out of here. It had only been two days since his surgery, but after being cooped up inside and constantly pestered by almost every member of the hospital staff on this floor he was beyond antsy. It wasn't DG's fault that they'd had to stay the extra day; his temperature had spiked the previous morning and Dr. Stinson hadn't wanted to take him off the antibiotics until they were certain Cain's incision wasn't becoming infected. But it had been nothing, just a remaining side effect of the anesthesia he had been on during surgery, and his discharge papers had been signed this morning.

He sighed; the blow to his pride had been the fact that he'd barely even been able to get dressed on his own. DG had needed to help him put on the new shirts they had bought him, both the one with the short sleeves and the one with longer sleeves and a hood, something that no one had needed to do for him since he was about three years old. She'd also had to tie his shoes for him, and he frowned slightly as he stared down at the strange footwear, wriggling his left foot around to try and make it more comfortable despite the bandage the nurse had wrapped around it after she removed his I.V. In spite of the strange style of the clothes, they were remarkably comfortable; similar to what he had seen DG, Ari, and even the tik-toks wear on occasion around the house, and he was starting to see why DG favored her sneakers so much.

His gaze moved away from his shoes, though his foot still twitched uncomfortably, and landed on the cause of his spat with DG. Really, it had been bad enough that he'd needed so much help doing simple things like dressing himself and _walking_, of all things; but now they expected him to be taken out of the hospital in a _wheelchair?_ He'd put his foot down, literally, at that idea, which had caused his temper to bristle even more when a sharp pain shot down his leg from his hip. Their argument had heated up before finally ending with the princess marching out the door. He was being foolish, he knew, but _really._

To its credit, the wheelchair bore the Tin Man's angry gaze well, and its braked wheels didn't so much as squeak as he finally sighed again and braced himself against one of its arm rests, hoisting himself off the bed and trying to turn enough so he could sit down in it. An arm suddenly wrapped around his waist, and he instinctively leaned into it even as he turned his head in surprise to find DG grinning up at him. They finally got him settled into the chair, and she leaned over to plant a kiss on his forehead.

"You're too proud, Tin Man," she murmured. "You don't have to be when it's just me."

"I'm tryin', Deege," he replied quietly. "But old habits die hard."

"I know." She wrapped her arms around his neck in a gentle hug, both of them savoring the quiet moment. "Come on, let's get out of here and back to the farmhouse."

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**You know what to do! The last chapter should be up soon!**


	17. In Midnights, in Cups of Coffee

**Author's Note: So, yeah, when I said that DG and Cain would have a year on the Otherside, I didn't intentionally plan for it to take **_**over**_** a year for me to update. To answer some of your questions: yes, this story is continuing; and yes, there is another story coming up after this one! You didn't really think I was going to leave all my amazing readers hanging, did you? :) Believe it or not, it's taken me forever to get these done because I had a hard time writing DG. A lot of what I had written originally was completely OOC for her, and it took me a while to bring her back to "spitfire" level. Sorry about the long wait, all the rest of the story is really close to being done so I should be posting the last few chapters soon. The individual days are no longer listed, but you can kind of figure that this chapter is the end of autumn, the next chapter is winter, the next one will be spring and the last one will be summer (can I get all my fellow RENT fans singing "Seasons of Love"?)**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reading, faving, alerting, and leaving reviews! You guys are all such an inspiration!**

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"Stop it," DG ordered, swiping at Cain's other hand with the washcloth, dripping soapy water on the floor.

"Deege," Wyatt complained, his voice coming remarkably close to a whine. The slipper princess raised an eyebrow in a perfect imitation of the Tin Man.

"Are we feeling whiny today?" she asked drily. "Mister 'I'll walk out of the hospital even though my feet won't obey my orders'?" She shook her head, carefully cleaning around the rest of Wyatt's stitches. "Mister 'Stop scratching at it' himself?" She tossed the washcloth into the sink, grabbing a paper towel to dry Wyatt's hand.

"I'm sorry," the Tin Man ground out sarcastically. "It itches."

"And what do you think it's going to be like after you get your stitches out and they put a full cast on your arm instead of just the partial one?" She crossed her arms as she stared at him, though a smile played on the corners of her mouth. "Don't move your arm; it needs to dry completely before we wrap it back up." She turned back toward the sink, tossing the paper towel in the garbage and rinsing out the washcloth. "I have to admit, Wyatt, it's kind of refreshing to see this other side of you; it makes you seem much more human when you show emotions outside of the 'stoic', 'stubborn', and 'angry' spectrums. I think for a while even Carter and Gulch were starting to wonder if you were a tik-tok."

Cain one-handedly twisted the cap off a tube of antibacterial ointment, gently dabbing it over the stitches that etched across his hand and wrist. DG sat back down, watching him silently; it made her uncomfortable to see his hand, tinted the deep bluish-purple of bone bruises. Just the other day she had finally made him tell her how it happened, and even though there had been nothing she could have done about it she still felt a twinge of guilt over the shape that his hand was in. Even with Doctor Stinson's assurance that, with time, Wyatt's hand would heal completely and the Tin Man would regain most if not full use, it was still difficult for DG to see it. "Does it still hurt?" she finally asked, her voice little more than a murmur.

Wyatt glanced at her.

"Not as much as it used to. It looks a sight worse than it really is." He flexed his fingers experimentally. "It mostly just feels strange; knowin' I'm being held together with metal pins is gonna take a little getting used to. Last time I broke a bone I was in a cast for almost three months. This time I'm told that the cast is just there for extra support and that I can make use of what limited movement I have right now as long as I wear this crazy metal plate to keep my wrist from moving," he tapped the small metal brace around his wrist as DG started to place squares of gauze over his stitches.

He watched her for another moment, immediately recognizing the look in her eyes even though she was intent on wrapping his hand in gauze. After they fit his arm back into the plaster shell and wrapped it in an elastic bandage, DG suddenly made herself busy washing dishes and rearranging the kitchen counter. He knew she felt guilty about his arm, and he hated that she blamed herself for something that was only caused by his inability to control his own anger.

There wasn't anything he could do about how she felt, but he had an idea or two as to how to get her to forget it for a while. Adjusting his sling over his shoulder, he quickly stood and strode across the room.

"Deege, I don't want you to be feelin' guilty about his. You know it wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed, fidgeting with a kitchen towel before tossing back onto the counter and turning toward the Tin Man. "I just can't help – HEY!" She was cut off as Cain stooped down and wrapped his good arm around her waist, hefting her over his shoulder and making a beeline for the front door. "Wyatt!"

"You clearly need to get your mind off my arm, sweetheart."

"Okay, I get that. But is the caveman thing really necessary?"

"Not sure what you mean by that, but as far as I can tell the only way to get you thinkin' about something else is to interrupt you in the most abrupt way possible."

" . . . . Okay, if we were in the O.Z., I'd accuse you of hanging out with Ambrose too much."

"Deege, I'm hurt to think that the headcase's stuffed-shirt alter-ego is the only explanation you can come up for my ability to analyze your personality."

"Yeah, I can tell by the chink I just left in this over-thick skin of yours," DG replied sarcastically, though Wyatt could hear her trying to fight off a laugh. They finally reached the door, and he set her on her feet. He handed her a jacket and pulled the door open.

"Come on, Deege, let's get outside for a while before it gets too dark."

"Why? Because the past hour we've spent inside is already too much?" she asked drily, slipping her arms into the jacket sleeves.

"Well, there's that, and because the harvest started yesterday. Harvest season sunsets are always some of the most beautiful, and I can't imagine seein' one without the most beautiful woman on either side of the rainbow," he leaned over a planted a kiss on her cheek.

A faint blush bloomed across DG's cheeks as her eyebrows rose on her forehead, but her eyes flickered mischievously.

"You lay it on pretty thick for a guy who just wants to watch a sunset, Tin Man," she chuckled, edging backwards toward the screen door as Cain loomed over her. He didn't seem to notice as she reached around behind herself to plant one hand on the door handle.

"I assure you, Princess; I have nothing but the best of intentions. Wouldn't want you to think I'm dishonorable."

"No, we wouldn't want anyone to think that." DG pretended to think about it, and finally shrugged. "I suppose that it would be alright if we just went out to watch a sunset. No harm in it, right?"

"Right . . . ." Cain drew the word out, suddenly suspicious of the young woman's behavior, and one eyebrow rose on his forehead.

"Just one condition though, Wyatt, and you have to promise me that you'll stand by it."

He rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but agree.

"Fine, what's the one condition?"

DG suddenly reached up with her free hand to grab Cain's collar, forcing him to lean down and brace himself against the door so she could plant a kiss on his lips. After several long seconds, she finally released him.

"You gotta catch me first," she murmured, her eyes shining. She finally turned the door handle and pushed the door out, sending Wyatt stumbling out onto the porch. She followed him out, dashing in the opposite direction, and by the time he regained his footing she had already vaulted over the porch railing and was running full-tilt toward the back yard. Cain grinned, following the sound of the young woman's laughter as he raced after her.

* * *

Cain stared uncertainly at the face gazing back at him, taking in the oversized, blank eyes and the crazy gap-toothed grin; he frowned, almost as though he expected it to say something.

"Deege, you're gonna have to explain this to me again," he requested warily, never taking his eyes off the strange creation.

"It's a tradition, Wyatt; they're called jack-o-lanterns. I think it started as a way to guide spirits to the afterlife. Leaving a lantern and food by your front door helped to keep them on their way and out of the house," the princess explained, her voice muffled by the shell of the pumpkin she was cleaning out. It was quite large, almost as big as she was, and seeing as how she was half-inside the massive gourd he wouldn't have been surprised if she had gotten stuck.

"So . . . kids dress up in costumes and parade from house to house and ask for food?"

"It's called trick-or-treating. And they ask for candy, usually, though there are always houses that hand out apples. It's weird, those houses were always my favorites . . . I never really knew why, but I always loved trading my candy away for apples from the other kids. I guess it makes sense now. There!" she crowed, finally levering herself out of the pumpkin. "I got everything." She dropped her plastic scoop into a nearby bowl, and Cain chuckled.

"Not quite, darlin'," he replied, reaching over to pluck a small cluster of seeds out of her hair. DG wrinkled her nose, but she was still smiling.

"Doc James has always had the best pumpkins; I'm glad we were able to get these from him. He's been winning blue ribbons at the county fair for years. If we're still here next summer, we'll have to go."

"We don't have to leave before then if you don't want to, darlin'," Cain grinned, though DG's smile wavered slightly. Wyatt didn't mention it, though; he knew she was still uncertain about the idea that it was up to her as to when they slipped back over. But both he and Raw agreed that it would be her choice; even the Viewer had found a simple comfort in being here in Kansas, and while he cared very much for his tribe he also found peace in the quiet farm. Wisely, Wyatt chose to change the subject. "What kind of face are you going to give that one?"

"I don't know," the princess admitted, uncapping the magic marker she had tucked into her ponytail. "Technically you should decide, since I chose the face on the other one. I'll draw it for you and you can carve it out."

"I'll leave the carving to you, I think."

"You sure? You probably wouldn't have too much trouble with your left hand."

"Yeah."

DG shrugged and went to work drawing and carving the face, and Cain leaned against the porch banister, staring out across the dark fields. The yellowish light from the house only extended out so far before it faded into the shadows; they could hear the quiet scratching of nocturnal animals out in the yard and the chirping of bats flying overhead. Far off in the distance the lights from another house flickered faintly, like some star had fallen out of the sky, but beyond that the whole world seemed dark. A cool breeze flowed by, carrying the smell of earth and leaves, and Wyatt inhaled deeply as he smiled; being here reminded him of the old farm where he had grown up. "You're pretty far from town here, how did you go trick-or-treating?"

"I always went over to Ari's house; they live a lot close - ow!"

Wyatt turned in alarm at DG's outburst, worried that she'd accidentally cut herself, but found her cradling her left arm against her chest and rubbing her wrist.

"Deege, you okay?"

"Yeah," she murmured, but she bit her lip in a grimace. He watched her for a moment, shaking his head.

"Come here," he sighed. She scooted the few feet to him, holding her arm out to him, and he carefully massaged her wrist and the back of her hand, encouraging her to flex her fingers even though he could feel her arm tense through the wide elastic bandage and splint she now wore. "You need to slow down, darlin'; you only got your cast off yesterday. Give yourself a little more time before you start using your hand normally." Her hand tensed up again, and he firmly rubbed the side of her wrist. "We'll put the heating pad on it for a while before we go to Ari's, but I think that other jack-o-lantern is going to have to stay how it is."

They glanced at the gourd in question, and both burst out laughing at the expression DG had carved into it. With its crossed eyes and wide, screaming mouth, the serrated knife imbedded in the spot where its nose should have been was strangely appropriate. DG turned around so she could lean against Cain's side, and his arm automatically went around her waist, holding her close and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Several minutes passed in silence; they were comfortable with each other, and Wyatt was glad that DG had found an easy acceptance of their relationship. Certain things still made her nervous; anything beyond a simple kiss would cause her to tense up, especially when there were others around. But now that they had the house largely to themselves she was more open to showing affection and had no qualms about curling up with him as they fell asleep each night. He always chuckled as he remembered her surprise kiss followed by their mad race around the yard, but he didn't try to push her any farther; he wanted her to take her time getting used to being with him. Besides, he was more than content with where they were; knowing that she would be there with him first thing in the morning and last thing at night made him happier than he had been in a long time.

"Wyatt?" DG's quiet voice broke through his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Have you noticed anything weird with our light?"

"Like what?"

The young woman hesitated.

"Like . . . not being able to use it?"

Cain was surprised by the question, and his pause made her squirm uncomfortably. "I've tried to use it a couple times, just to start working with it again, but it's like it was before I slipped over. I can feel _something_ there, but I just can't get to it."

"Can't say that I've noticed anything; I know I felt something when Raw became a mage, so I'd imagine that my light would still be there. But my light draws off of you; if you're having trouble findin' your gift again I don't know if mine would show up again until yours is back." He thought for a moment. "Deege, do you remember when we were at the Northern Island, and Raw was showing us in the mirror what had happened when you were younger?"

"Yeah . . . ."

"Even after your mother gave you second life, you had still technically . . . died. You didn't have a gift for a long time after that."

"I remember," she muttered, clearly uncomfortable with what Wyatt was saying.

"What if the same thing happened again?"

"What do you mean?"

"Toto told me once that having light is a gift, but that it also draws off of the mage. When you were sick, especially that last wave before you started getting better, what if your light had to leave you in order to save you?"

DG's brow furrowed slightly, but she looked thoughtful.

"Like what happened in the Grey Gale," she murmured, and Cain's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "I could feel my light leave . . . that's the last thing I can really remember before you brought me back."

Another silence fell over them, this one somewhat less comfortable than it had been before, and Cain rubbed DG's back reassuringly as she leaned into him.

"Your light will be back, darlin', it came back before; it just needs a little more time, like everything else." He kissed her temple. "Let's go get some heat on your wrist, and when Raw comes back we can clean up out here and light these things up before we head over to Ari's."

* * *

Early daylight was just starting to filter through the windows as Wyatt stumbled drowsily down the stairs, blinking the grit from his eyes and letting his gaze wander over the lower level of the farmhouse. He spotted Raw standing nearby, his dark eyes fixed on something in the living room and waves of nervous magic flowing off of him. Psychic ability or no, Cain didn't need to ask what had the Viewer so on edge.

"Raw," he muttered, less in an attempt to not startle his friend as to keep all their gifts in check. He didn't need to call on his Light to know that it would not react well to the situation.

The empath turned slightly as Cain approached, glancing only briefly at the Tin Man before his worried stare returned to the living room. "Is she doing okay?"

Raw shook his head.

"Caught; controlling emotions taking precedence over controlling magic. Too used to keeping emotions inside, not sharing with others. But magic builds inside, draining DG."

Cain sighed, finally peering through the door to find the young woman curled up in her father's old armchair. She appeared calm, but he knew from previous experience that underneath her stoic visage there was a storm brewing. Even as he watched her, bright sparks of White flashed around her, and the young woman squeezed her eyes shut as a few rebellious tears trickled down her face.

"Which one was it?"

"Lylo."

The Tin Man sighed again, his eyes falling closed as he shook his head and rubbed his good hand across his face. DG's Light had started working again just a week and a half ago, appearing suddenly and violently in reaction to a nightmare she was having. It wasn't the nightmare that worried him; both of them had been dealing with bad dreams off and on and neither of them was ever eager to talk about it. Unlike DG's magic, however, as a Shared gift Wyatt's didn't build up and drain him when he suppressed his emotions. It wasn't anything that any of them had ever heard of before; they all knew that magic could grow out of control when a mage allowed their anger, fear, grief or even exhaustion to take over, and Light reacting to a mage's dreams wasn't entirely unheard of when the mage was so far into sleep that the line between their dream and their reality was essentially nonexistent.

What was happening to DG, however, was hurting her to the point that it was downright dangerous. As much as Wyatt hid his emotions and blocked the princess and the Viewer out when he needed his space, he at least gave himself ways to vent the anger and frustration that coursed through him after a particularly bad dream; even a Shared gift could grow out of control if it was allowed to build up for a long enough time. DG pulled inside herself and never seemed to let go of what she was feeling, and her Light reacted to her pent-up emotions by becoming more difficult to control and wreaking havoc on her dreams; this whole process cycled around to the point that the worse her nightmares became and the less sleep she got the more she pulled into herself and buried her emotions. This had already happened once in the ten days since her Light had returned, and they had barely managed to ward off a disaster of magical proportions before Cain was able to get DG to let go and cry.

Wyatt wasn't sure which one bothered him more; the fact that DG was so capable of taking her emotions and burying them or that she actually felt that she needed to. He found himself thinking back to her first week in the O.Z., how it seemed that nothing had been able to chip away at her hidden emotions until the cave at Finaqua. And even then, she had broken down not because she was scared but because she felt guilty for causing others pain. The fact that she had cried at all after they rescued her from the Grey Gale or later after she had defeated the Dark Witch he only attributed to her being completely and utterly exhausted. He sometimes wondered if she hid her emotions because she didn't feel valued enough to think that they mattered to other people, or perhaps because of her upbringing. He could tell that DG and her nurture units had never been particularly well-off; growing up in a family that had to break their backs for every penny they brought in meant there was no room left in their lives for emotions that didn't really fix or change anything. Regardless of the reason, he still didn't like it.

DG had calmed down in the past few days, throwing herself into her artwork and drawing the faces she saw in her dreams as though putting everything down on paper might make the nightmares go away. But of any of her recurring nightmares, the one where she relived again and again the torture she and Lylo underwent at the hands of the sorceress hurt and scared her the most. Cain knew now, after asking Raw to show him, that a Viewer looking into a person's mind was a jarring experience for human and Viewer alike and that people often dealt with headaches and confusion for hours and, rarely, even days after being read. To have that forced upon a person, in a situation where neither participant was willing to undergo a reading, aggravated the minds of both and in severe cases harmed at least one of them. The fact that Lylo had been so weak from being forced to use his second-sight for so long had probably been the princess's saving grace; had he been any stronger, or if Kalm had been given the chance to read her, the whole experience would have been so excruciating that she would never have escaped from her holding cell on her own.

As it was, DG's nightmare of the torture focused on and magnified what had happened, and she woke up with splitting headaches that lasted for hours regardless of what Wyatt or Raw did. And that was when either of them was awake to help. Last night, Cain had been so deep in sleep that he hadn't woken up to her nightmare and had never even noticed when she left their room to come downstairs.

Cain glanced again at the Viewer; Raw's dark eyes were troubled in his concern for their friend, and Cain could tell that he, too, was trying to keep his magic in check. Raw's talent as an empath, even as a natural gift that he had grown into as a young Viewer, played with his still-developing Red magic. They still didn't know what kind of mage Raw was supposed to be, but learning to control his Light meant learning to control his reactions to other peoples' emotions; the Red magic the O.Z. had somehow managed to grace him with reacted to emotion just like any other Light, and in Raw's case it played off the emotions he felt from other people as well as his own.

"Do you think she'll let me near her?" the Tin Man murmured, trying to let his own Psychic gift get a read on what was going on, but it wasn't as developed as Raw's and still played tricks on him on occasion.

"Maybe; Cain should approach carefully, talk quietly and let White Light know that things are okay. Will need to communicate with both DG and her magic, both need to understand."

Wyatt frowned, hoping that his Light could manage comforting the princess's Light. He still wasn't entirely certain why, but his magic _felt_ different than it had when he had first been graced. He couldn't place _how_ exactly it was different; he was still an Elemental mage with added Psychic and Healing abilities, but to him it still felt like there was something changed about it. "Relax, Cain," Raw ordered quietly. "Psychic magic will project if Tin Man nervous, White magic will react to emotions. Need to let feelings for DG allow Green magic to comfort and calm."

"I can't control it like that; my Light is Shared, I can't just 'let it flow through me' like you and Deege can. I actually have to call on it to use it."

"Cain know that not true," Raw frowned, shaking his head slightly. "Cain can sense difference in Green magic, knows something changed since DG was sick."

Wyatt frowned, but he knew the Viewer could sense his confusion. "What Cain feel is different about Light? What change does Tin Man sense?"

The man sighed, trying not to get frustrated with the Furball over the unnecessary interrogation. At the moment he was more concerned about the princess and trying to calm her down before her magic blew up the house; he would think that the Viewer would feel the same way.

Almost immediately, a sharp spark of Green magic shot up his arm and made his entire body twitch, setting off similar reactions in Raw's Red magic as well as DG's White, the last one reacting so violently that the very foundations of the farmhouse shook. The Viewer looked around wryly as the house settled, his gaze finally resting back on the Tin Man. Cain, if nothing else, felt more confused than ever.

"What the hell was that?"

"Cain tell Raw; magic never react like that before. What Cain feeling?"

Knowing he would never be able to lie to the Viewer about such a thing as _feelings_, Wyatt sighed again.

"I was getting frustrated, annoyed with you for just talking when I want to help DG."

"So magic reacted to emotions. Does not sound like Shared gift; sounds like magic becoming Cain's. What Toto call it? A 'Sole' gift?"

Wyatt had to think about that one; what would be the reason behind his gift becoming Solely his? The purpose behind his being chosen in the first place he had always figured was to rescue DG from the Grey Gale; but then his magic had stayed, as a Shared gift, for long after the Dark Witch had been defeated and well into DG's long fight with Fangpox. DG, who had always been what Toto had referred to as Cain's "Source", had been sick for so long that her own magic seemed to abandon her. Yet Cain had used his magic on occasion, had felt his magic twitch in the back of his mind and he had certainly felt it when Raw had been chosen by the O.Z. But as startling as Raw's gracing was no one could really quite pinpoint the reason for it; the idea that Cain's magic was becoming his own made the situation even more confusing. Why them, of all people; and why _now?_

But Raw couldn't be that far off; he was even more of a Psychic than Cain and even before he was graced he'd had a gift for Viewing that bordered on annoying.

"Alright, Raw, what do I do?"

"Breathe, relax, do not try to summon magic but think about reassuring DG. If becoming Sole gift, will react without Cain calling on it; does not matter what kind of mage Tin Man is."

Wyatt glanced again at the young woman sitting in the next room, forcing himself to take a deep breath and focus more on being calm for DG's sake. There was no spark this time, but more the feeling that he was being immersed in a pool of warm water; he could feel the Light gradually extending out through him. Glancing at his hands, there was no visible light as far as he could tell, but he still just _knew_ that it was Green. Is this what the Mutt meant when he told DG to let the light flow through her? There was no effort to it, it was just _there_, it just _was._

Raw was watching him curiously, his head tilted as a grin played at the corners of his mouth. "Good, Cain, well done."

"Is this what it's like for you?"

"Almost. Raw can sense own magic, like Cain can, and knows own Light is Red. But Raw does not know what kind of mage Raw is supposed to be; has not been able to find it yet."

"Can you sense what kind of mage I am?"

"No; Raw can only sense presence of magic, not color of Light. But Raw already know that Cain Elemental, Healing, and Psychic mage, know that Cain's aura is Green."

There was a sudden tug at the corner of Cain's mind, drawing his attention back to the young woman as he was suddenly aware of the presence of _White_ Light.

"Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"I can sense DG's magic as White, it's like it's still there as part of mine."

"Perhaps gifts still linked, perhaps Cain's Light not completely Cain's yet. Cain should use to advantage; White and Green recognize each other, Green can help easily as long as Tin Man calm and focus on helping DG."

Wyatt took one more glance at the Viewer, taking another deep breath and feeling the Light grow within him, and finally approached the young woman.

The effort it was taking for his Light to not spiral out of control became more and more noticeable as he came closer to where DG was sitting. Seeing her Light flicker even as she was sitting there and feel it tug at his magic was almost enough for him to lose his tenuous grip on it, but he did as Raw said and focused as best he could just on being there for DG.

"Deege?" he slowly kneeled down next to the chair, trying to catch her eye even though she refused to look at him. He knew there were more forceful ways to get her to let go of her emotions, but he didn't want to try those unless he had to. "Deege?"

Her magic pushing back against his almost knocked him to the floor; but the look on her face told him that it wasn't by her doing. She was trying too hard to keep her mental and possibly physical pain in check. "Deege, come on, look at me. I can't help you if you don't open up to me."

Her magic pushed him again, testing his frustration and this time successfully sending him sprawling. He lay there for a moment, barely keeping his magic from retaliating and trying to bring his focus back to his fiancée. Taking a deep breath, he was now very aware that he was actually glowing Green. Making sure his Light was back under his control, he stood up and sat down in the chair with DG, framing her face in his hands and forcing her to look at him. "Deege, you can't do this to yourself. Listen to me; you have to let yourself cry. I know you're hurting and you're probably terrified out of your mind right now, but your nightmares are playing with your head and with your Light and if you don't let go of your emotions you're going to hurt yourself."

Her magic flashed again, pushing him away from her and off the chair and rattling several windows. Wyatt was on his feet in an instant, his concern and love for the young woman overpowering any frustration he may have felt before. He sat down next to her again, not even giving her a chance to fight back before he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Deege, please, I know you're hurting but it's only going to get worse if you try to hide it. Please, darlin', I love you and I'm worried about you. I'm not going to judge you or leave you, I'm staying right here but I just need you to let go and cry."

Her magic flared this time, forcing itself again Cain's Light and DG actually tried to struggle away from him. Wyatt took a deep breath, letting his eyes fall closed and allowing his Light to push back, gently directing it to surround them and to let DG feel how worried he was for her. The girl twitched, no longer trying to get away from him but pulling into herself even more; he could feel her magic flash again. "Please, Deege, just let go. I'm not going anywhere, I'm not going to leave you; but I need you to cry. You don't have to hide it from me; I just need you to cry."

The girl twitched again, and he tightened his embrace around her as he felt her magic rearing back to push at him again. But DG's choked sobs suddenly filled the room, the presence of the White Light immediately falling back and becoming less threatening, and Cain's magic calmed as its opposition disappeared. "Good, DG, just let it go." He gently rubbed her back as she cried, resting his cheek on the top of her head. "Just let it go, darlin'; you'll be okay."

* * *

"That's what makes it so hard, Raw, we have no idea what kind of mage you're supposed to be," DG hunkered down next to the Viewer, their breaths creating small puffs of steam in the early morning air. "If Wyatt was here, we could ask him how he figured it out."

The empath remained silent for a moment, finally sighing so deeply that the cloud from his breath remained in front of his face for several seconds before it finally evaporated.

"Raw can feel Light, knows it is there. Can feel it trying to show," he glanced at his friend, frowning slightly. "Maybe aura color has to with type of mage?"

"It might . . ." her voice trailed off thoughtfully. "But I think it has to do with who you are as a mage, too. I know that Light and Dark mages have gifts that sort of encompass all magic, and they have either White or Black auras depending on how they use their gifts." She rubbed her left hand through her mitten, carefully flexing her fingers as she silently reminded herself to use the heating pad later; this cold weather wasn't being friendly to her wrist. "Wyatt's a Psychic, and a Healer like you, but he's an Elemental mage," she mused quietly. "And his aura's Green."

"Makes sense, elements part of nature."

"But he's also brave, and cool-headed, and one of those people who doesn't really talk all that much unless he feels he needs to. When I think of him, I don't think of the color Green; I would almost expect him to be Brown or a really dark Blue."

"Cousin Felicity has Gold aura, is Fire mage."

"And she's this intelligent, warm, caring person. I can see Gold when I think of her," she cast a glance at the Viewer. "And you're Red."

"What DG see when she see Raw?"

She stared at him for a long moment, finally sighing as she twirled a bright orange leaf between her fingers, letting go of it after a few seconds and spinning it as she had Toto's dolls.

"I see someone who is much more courageous than he gives himself credit for, who has great love and loyalty for his friends and family, and would protect them in an instant if he needed to, but still has a careful and gentle nature toward the people he trusts. I don't think of you as Red, Raw." She released the gentle spell she had on the leaf and let it drift back to the ground.

The empath sighed.

"What DG feel, when light coming back?"

"I guess I was like you, but I've never really thought about it." DG frowned. "I've always felt something there, but until I slipped over I never knew what it was. I didn't remember chasing bears away or making dolls spin. But after we ran into Toto, I guess seeing my old doll again sort of jump-started my light. I didn't know that it would spin, but it was sort of the thing my magic was waiting for to show me that it was there. And you know how it happened this time around." Her frown deepened slightly, then, but she chuckled after a moment. "You have an advantage that I didn't; you actually know that what you're feeling is magic."

Raw laughed breathily, his sharp teeth glinting in the late-autumn sunlight, but then he looked thoughtful.

"Raw still not completely certain; can feel magic there, always seems to be there. But Raw not completely understand what Toto mean when says 'let Light flow' through Raw. When Cain recognize Light as Sole gift, Cain think feeling Light always there as what Toto mean. But Raw still sense as different, not quite what Cain think, but something more."

"I'm not entirely sure," the frown crossed the young woman's face again. "But I've always sort of seen it as him telling me to let my magic go."

The Viewer remained silent, watching her carefully, and DG briefly wondered if he could "see" what she was trying to say or if he really was waiting for her to explain. She returned his gaze, finally turning to fully face him. "Close your eyes, and give me your hands."

He tilted his head curiously, but did as she asked. "Picture your light as something that's being contained. Water behind a dam . . . a flock of birds in a cage . . . whatever the first thing is that comes to your mind. But if you feel you have to think too hard to find it, you have to stop and start over. It should be effortless, like breathing. I think Toto told me once that it should be 'Light as Air,' that my magic should move as easily as a breeze."

"What DG picture light as?"

"Fireflies in a jar."

Raw chuckled again, but then his brow furrowed in concentration. "Now imagine that some part of the container is starting to break away, and some of your light is escaping and wandering off on its own. A little more breaks away, and your light keeps escaping. It's trying to escape, out through your fingers," she murmured. She closed her eyes, feeling Raw's hands tighten over hers, and a split second later felt the unmistakable flow of Red magic. She frowned; was the ground shaking? It was so faint she thought she had imagined it. But another moment later Raw was tugging her to her feet as dozens of red poppies sprouted from the ground where they had just been sitting, creating a vivid carpet of crimson among the yellow and orange leaves.

They stared at the flowers for several long minutes; shocked speechless as they tried to figure out what had just happened. DG finally grinned cheekily, raising one eyebrow as she glanced at her friend. "How do you feel?"

If nothing else, Raw looked even less sure of himself than he had before. "What have to do with flowers?"

"I'm not sure. What did you imagine your light as?"

"Growing seeds, tendrils reaching out through fingers."

"Pick one, try to do something else."

The Viewer crouched down and carefully picked a flower from the ground. He closed his eyes, purring quietly, and as DG watched the poppy wilted in Raw's hand, shriveling into nothing and then suddenly sprouting again, this time growing a bright orange bloom. It wilted again, this time growing a blue flower, also sprouting a white one followed by a yellow one. "Raw," she murmured, trying not to interrupt his concentration. "Look at what you're doing."

He cracked one eye open, his hands closing around the blossoms for a moment before opening to reveal a tiny seed, and he glowed red before the seed sprouted and grew an entire bouquet of new flowers, each one a different color. Dropping the bouquet, a wave of his hand had the flowers taking root and a deep sigh had wisps of fog condensing around the poppies.

Just as suddenly, the spells ended and the flowers, having sprung from seeds that never existed, disappeared along with the small clouds of fog. Raw suddenly looked tired, but the puzzled look never left his face; he was frowning and almost looked frightened at the prospect of learning what gift he had been graced with.

"Raw nature mage?"

* * *

DG awoke slowly, her brow furrowing slightly before her eyes opened. She frowned, blinking to make sure that the dark room wasn't playing tricks on her mind, and reached over to the other side of the bed before sitting up.

"Wyatt?" she murmured, her gaze flickering to the shapeless shadows that filled the room. A soft rustling noise from near the window sent a shiver through her, and her heart pounded in her chest. "Wyatt?"

"Huh? Deege?" a blob of shadow shuffled around, hesitating for a moment before making its way back to the bed. "I'm sorry, darlin', I didn't mean to wake you up," Cain sighed softly, lying down next to her and pulling the blanket over them. "My hand was feelin' stiff; I had to take the bandage off for a while."

"I don't think you woke me up," she mumbled drowsily, turning over slightly to take his right hand. Resting her head on his shoulder, she gently massaged his hand and wrist. "I think I woke up because you weren't there."

"There's a difference?" he chuckled quietly.

"I think so." She thought for a moment, but she could already feel herself drifting off again now that she knew where Wyatt was. "It never felt weird to fall asleep with you; it always felt right to have you here." She glanced up, and even in the low light they could see the faint glimmer of each other's eyes. "It's when you're gone that it feels strange. Nothing feels wrong when you're here. When you're here, I feel safe."

Cain reached up and tucked a few strands of hair behind DG's ear.

"I'm glad that I make you feel safe, Deege," he whispered, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I feel better knowin' that you're happy and safe."

The young woman watched him for a moment, sleepily noting how happy the Tin Man looked. There had been so many nights that she'd lied awake after they'd gone to bed, watching him sleep and letting the gentle rhythm of his breathing lull her into slumber. But for all the good nights, the nights when the problems that etched the creases across his face seemed to disappear and his sleep was peaceful, there were still bad nights. Demons still slipped into both of their dreams and turned them into nightmares, though whose sleep would be haunted they never knew for certain.

Tonight was a good night, though; in spite of this brief interruption, they were both sleeping well and would fall asleep again easily.

She didn't try to move away as he leaned toward her, cradling her head in his free hand as he touched his lips to hers briefly before deepening the kiss. Her hands went around his shoulders, encouraging him, and he wrapped his arms around her to hold her closer. He could feel her relax against him as he rubbed gentle circles over her back, and feeling bolder he gently pushed her to lie on her back as he leaned over her. She tensed up briefly, her hands bunching in the fabric of his shirt, but she quickly relaxed under him and began combing her fingers through his hair. Cain's free hand moved from her back to brush gently over her stomach, and when she made no move to stop him his fingers ventured under the hem of her shirt. His warm touch trailed over her back and her abdomen, but when he grazed the bottom of her ribcage she shuddered slightly and pulled away.

"I'm sorry," DG lowered her eyes, feeling a faint blush creeping across her face.

"No, Deege, don't be," he murmured, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "I don't want to push you too far." He kissed her forehead again before laying back and letting her snuggle against his chest. "I don't want you to feel apologetic for bein' nervous, there's nothing wrong with it and we don't have to go any farther than you're comfortable with." He gently stroked her hair. "I love you."

"I love you too, Wyatt." DG buried her eyes against him, trying to regain her mental footing, but having him close to her was reason enough to lift her gaze again and watch him as he settled back and closed his eyes.

Whether it was the stiff embrace she kept on him or the rhythm of her breathing that told him she wasn't trying to go back to sleep, she didn't know, but a few minutes later his eyes opened again and he turned his head slightly to regard her sleepily.

"Deege? What is it?"

Honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted to say anything; she still had a difficult time opening up and talking to him, especially about things that she felt were really none of her business. But he would want to know, wouldn't he? Wouldn't he want her to talk to him, especially about something that had scared her? He had been so patient, so gentle with her in their relationship; he had given her all the time and space she needed to get used to being with him and had always encouraged her being open in what she said to him. They were engaged, which was as good as married in the O.Z. if not close enough to it here on the Otherside, and being honest and open with each other was an important part of being together and being married.

"Sometimes I wish you would talk to me more," she admitted quietly, dropping her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the confusion that was no doubt masking the Tin Man's face and holding herself closer to him when she felt him shift slightly next to her. "There are days when I can tell you're upset, but you never talk to me about it and all I feel like I can do is stand there and watch as you shut yourself off from me and from Raw. I feel like you're leaving me behind when you shut me out like that."

Cain sighed, rolling over onto his side so he could wrap both arms around her, and she burrowed against him as he rested his chin on the crown of her head.

"I'm sorry darlin', I don't mean to shut you out. I've got a lot of emotions penned up inside my head and I don't always know how to deal with them. Sometimes I worry that if I let them out all I would end up doing is hurting or scaring you."

"It scares me more when you do that than when you just get up and walk away because you're angry. At least if you're walking away from me I know you're upset and I can choose to chase you or to leave you alone. When you pull inside yourself and block me out I don't even have the choice to follow you to see what's wrong."

"There's no good place for you to follow me to on days like that, Deege; sometimes I just need to work things out on my own."

"And what is that supposed to mean from my perspective, Wyatt? You have always encouraged me to share my feelings with you, even on days when I would be far happier trying to figure things out by myself. You know about the nightmares I have and sometimes even know which one I'm having on any given night, you know about how much I hate myself for the pain that I've caused you and everyone in the O.Z. You've seen me at my weakest and at my most helpless and you've seen me when I'm so scared I can barely even function. But all I can tell you is that you seem to expect me to be much more open with my emotions than you're willing to be with yours, that you provide so much more privacy for yourself than you allow me. I see you fighting your nightmares as you sleep but I have no idea what you're seeing or why and it scares me." She took a shuddering breath, suddenly realizing there were tears streaming down her face.

"Deege, darlin', what brought all this on?" Wyatt's confusion was overshadowed by worry for her; she was so much like him, so adept at keeping her feelings hidden, that this could have been stewing for a long time without him knowing it. That's why he had always encouraged her to talk to him and to get her feelings out in the open, especially when she fell so deep into her thoughts that her magic would react and start to flicker; she'd started to talk to him more, but even since that one morning when he and Raw had finally broken through the emotional wall she had built they'd really had some close calls. But, apparently, therein lay the problem.

"Last night your nightmares got so bad that I couldn't wake you up, and you fought me every time I tried. At one point your eyes opened and you were looking right at me, but you didn't see me. Your eyes were open and you were almost living the nightmare that you were caught in; I could see the emotions in your face and in the tone of your voice even though you weren't saying anything that I could understand, and all I could do was lie there and hold your hand and wonder what it was that you were seeing."

Wyatt's embrace tightened almost painfully around her, and DG was almost tempted to push him away despite how much she wanted to be comforted. "I won't let that be all our relationship is, Wyatt, I can't be the only one in this who doesn't hide anything. I need you to be as open with me as you ask me to be with you; it hurts when you don't say anything because I feel like you don't trust me."

"Darlin', of course I trust you; I trust you more than anyone else. I never said anything because I thought I was protecting you that way. You've got a lot riding on your shoulders; sometimes it seems like you're carryin' the whole world and I didn't want to add to it. But I'm not very good at sharing with other people, either, and I guess I didn't realize how unfair I was being by askin' you to do something that I wasn't willing to do myself." He gently rubbed her back. "I gotta be honest, I'm not always going to be able to come right out and tell you how I'm feelin', but I'll definitely try to when I can and I promise if you say something to me I'll say what I'm able to say."

* * *

"Yes, Deege, your arm is still attached."

She turned and glared good-naturedly at him as he crawled out of their bedroom window and onto the roof, hauling a heavy blanket behind him.

"Is it going to hurt like this _every_ time the weather changes?" she asked, flexing her fingers as she rubbed her wrist.

"Not every time," he chuckled, sitting down beside her and wrapping the blanket around their shoulders before leaning against the side of the house. "You give it enough time, it'll only hurt under certain circumstances; I've got a scar that I used to think only hurt on random nights in the fall."

"'Used to think'?" DG asked quietly, leaning into his embrace as Cain wrapped his arm around her. "Do you know what makes it hurt now?"

"Turns out, it only hurts on days that the Parkers play in a game."

DG paused for a moment, her brow furrowing as she mulled that over.

"The Parkers? What game do they play?"

"I can never remember the name of it . . . the one with the oval-shaped ball made of pigskin."

"Football?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"The Parkers . . . ." her voice trailed off for a moment, but her eyebrows suddenly rose so fast they practically jumped off her forehead. "You mean the _Packers?_" She sat up straighter and turned slightly to face him. "Wyatt, have you really watched enough football since we slipped over that you know your scar only hurts on days when the Packers play in a game?"

"I guess so," he chuckled, letting DG settle back against him.

"I have to say, Wyatt, I'm a little disappointed in you."

Cain's gaze flew to the young woman in alarm, wondering what he could have done to disappoint her but she was grinning mischievously.

"Out of all the football teams you choose, it had to be a team from another state. We _do_ live in Kansas, you know." She shook her head dramatically, giving him what he suspected was meant to be an exasperated look, but she was smiling too much. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head and chuffing out a laugh.

"If it means that much to you, princess, I'm sure I can teach my scar to hurt when the Jayhawks play, if not the Bulldogs."

"That's all I ask, I don't think that's too much of a request."

They both fell silent for a while, watching the sky as their eyes adjusted to the darkness. DG sighed quietly, and he tightened his embrace around her. "You warm enough, Deege?"

"Yeah," she murmured, even though she pulled the blanket closer. "I'm just thinking."

"Anything interesting?"

"Sort of."

She remained silent for another minute, making Cain wonder if she was going to share anything else. "When I lived with Momster and Popsicle, I used to come out and sit here every night that I could. Even in the middle of winter, I would put on all my winter gear and climb out that window just so I could sit and watch the stars. I never missed a meteor shower if I could help it." She sighed again. "I guess seeing the sky and knowing just how big it is made me realize that there's always something more out there. It helped me be patient, at least some of the time; as long as the stars were where they belonged there would always be something waiting for me when I finally got out of this town. Then I get hauled over to the O.Z., and the first thing I notice is that the _sun_ isn't even the same there. I don't know why I was so surprised to see that the stars weren't where they're supposed to be, either."

Cain stayed silent; he remembered that DG hadn't slept much that first night after she found him and the others. He had woken up himself several times during their night in the woods, unaccustomed to being in the fresh air and still dreaming that he was watching his family being taken from him. Every time he woke up, DG had been up and moving around nervously; a couple times he had spotted her creeping around among the trees, but mostly she paced up and down the river bank. He had never even considered that she might have been looking at the stars.

"I think that's when it really hit me," she finally continued. "Seeing that even the stars were different made me realize that everything had changed. Then I found out that not only am I a member of the royal family but that my sister had been possessed by a witch because of something _I_ did and that I was only there because of some elaborate scheme that my parents had concocted. . ." her voice broke, cutting off her rambling for a moment. "It made me wonder if maybe that's all that was ever going to wait for me."

"Do you really believe that, Deege?" Cain was a little confused; granted, he still didn't know as much about DG's life on the Otherside as he would have liked, and he knew even less about the thoughts and ideas that ran through her head, but this conversation was a little beyond even what he would have expected from her.

"I don't really know, Wyatt." She sighed, frowning a little, and Wyatt rubbed her back as he let her think. "But do you think it would be so strange if I did?"

"No," he admitted. "I can see where your thinking comes from. But I have a bit of a hard time believin' it." She curled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder as they watched the skies. "Look at us, Deege; even after everything we've been through, we're still here. Do you really think that the future holds nothing else for us?"

DG sighed again, but she didn't say anything else. Their eyes finally adjusted to the dark, and for a long time they just watched as meteors flared overhead.

"I want there to be more to life than just this and Central City."

Cain's eyebrows rose slightly at DG's quiet admission; the subtle ferocity in her voice caught him a little off guard. "I waited for years just to get out of here. This town and this house felt like a prison. Now that I've found something else, I don't want it to end up just another prison cell."

"Deege . . . ."

"What, Wyatt? I can tell you right now that I'm not cut out to be a royal! I can't be stuck behind stone walls and paraded in front of an entire country like some overdressed poodle!" She sat up and turned to him, and he had no doubt that if they hadn't been sitting on the roof she would be up and pacing by now. "I hate wearing dresses, and I hate them even more if I have to stand around and be gawked at by thousands of people I don't even know. I've been trying for years to get away from these walls, trying to figure out where I could go to that wouldn't make me feel like I was being trapped. I can't spend the rest of my life stuck in one place if that's what I've been fighting this whole time."

"Deege, you won't have to."

That brought DG up short; Cain could see her trying to regain her mental footing. She had been gearing up for a full-out rant, and his statement had knocked her off-balance.

"What do you mean?"

"Deege, you know your sister is going to take the throne when Queen Lavender finally steps down. Now that the kingdom has seen Az for who she really is, there is nothing keeping her from fulfilling her role as heir."

The young woman mulled that over for a moment, but she was still confused.

"I don't get it."

"How far into the history of the O.Z. was Toto able to get before you got sick?"

"Not too far; maybe a hundred years or so after the Age of the Ancients."

"Traditionally, the reigning queen of the Zone has always had at least two children. Both of them would be daughters; the term typically used is 'an heir and a spare'."

"What if one of them was a boy?"

"They never have been. No one's sure if it's the O.Z.'s doing, but no queen in recorded history has ever given birth to a son until she's had at least two daughters. That way, if the oldest daughter was unable to take the throne, there would always be another daughter to be queen. The country has always been a matriarchal monarchy; the royal line and the white magic have to be passed from mother to daughter. According to your cousin, a son wouldn't inherit the white magic; he wouldn't be able to rule the O.Z. without it."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Provided the eldest daughter is able to take the throne, the second and any successive daughters of the royal couple have their choice of directions to take that assist the country and still make use of the family's white magic."

"Like what?" Realization was beginning to dawn in DG's eyes, and Cain had to keep from grinning at the eagerness in her voice.

"There have been ambassadors and royal councilors. A few have become war mages or members of the Peace Council, or teachers for other mages. What do you think, Deege?" He finally grinned. "You want to take Toto's place in a few years?"

The young woman rolled her eyes, but she was smiling too.

"Probably not," she laughed, but then she looked thoughtful again. "What's the Peace Council?"

"It's a bit like what you would get if you combined your Peace Corps, Coast Guard, Red Cross and National Guard with the fire and police departments. They're peacetime ambassadors, travelling to outlying towns and other countries to help after natural disasters. But they're also trained in dangerous rescues and in wartime combat. Wars all throughout history have been brought to an end through the actions of the Peace Council."

"That's a bit of a tall order."

"At least it wouldn't be boring. Think about it, Deege; after fifteen years of being ruled by a wicked witch there would be a lot of rebuilding to do around the O.Z. There's a lot of good to be done."

DG grinned, clearly interested in the possibilities; but she glanced down at her engagement ring, frowning slightly.

"Wyatt, would you want a life like that? If I decided to become an ambassador, or a war mage, or if I joined the Peace Council, would you be okay with that?"

Cain chuckled, kissing her forehead.

"Wherever you go I'll go, darlin'. After being locked in that metal box for so long I don't think I'd be too keen on staying behind stone walls, either. Whatever you decide, I'll be right there with you."


End file.
